Twin Pines
by Bookreader525
Summary: In ShadowClan territory, there are tons of pine trees, but not any like these. In a small clearing grow two pines, exactly the same in every way. Two kits, twins, were found abandoned under the pines. One pine will grow strong and one will wilt. How can the Clan tell which will be the wilted pine and which the strong one if they both look the same? Idea (c) Grasswing of Wingclan.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Eek! I am so excited for this story. The moment I read the summary, I knew exactly what to do for it. Yes, this story idea is totally (c) Grasswing of Wingclan. I only take credit for the writing. I hope you like it, Grasswing :'D**

**This takes place a while after TLH, but you may recognize some of the characters!**

**-Mossy**

* * *

**Allegiances**

_**ShadowClan**_

_**Leader **_**Tawnystar- **pale tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

_**Deputy **_**Hummingbird- **dark ginger she-cat with a white chest and bright green eyes

_**Medicine Cat **_**Mistcloud- **elderly spiky-furred pale gray she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Volepaw)**

_**Warriors **_**Flamedapple- **mostly ginger tortoiseshell tom with green eyes

**Russetshine- **dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Spikeclaw- **black tom with amber eyes

**Twigpelt- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Comfreyleaf- **light gray she-cat with green eyes

**Stiltfeather- **gray tom with long legs and green eyes **(Apprentice: Sparrowpaw)**

**Tortoisestep- **thick dark brown tom with deep green eyes

**Speckfall- **light brown she-cat with darker brown flecks and amber eyes **(Apprentice: Indigopaw)**

**Fleetwhisker- **swift light brown tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Blizzardpaw)**

**Flickclaw- **pale ginger tom with green eyes

**Lintpelt- **fuzzy gray tom with gray eyes

**Evesky- **black she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Chillgaze- **white tom with amber eyes

**Hivefur- **golden-brown tabby tom with knotted fur and honey-amber eyes

**Archstripe- **dark gray tom with lighter-colored stripe down back, amber eyes

**Smolderfire- **dark gray, cinder-colored she-cat with with black ears, paws, tail-tip, and bright orange eyes

**Lightningstrike- **dull gray, almost black, she-cat with startling yellow eyes

**Crowflight- **young, scruffy black she-cat with pale green eyes

**_Apprentices _****Volepaw- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Sparrowpaw- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Indigopaw- **black tom with indigo-blue eyes and long whiskers

**Blizzardpaw- **white she-cat with yellow eyes

_**Queens **_**Appletail- **brown-gray she-cat with pale amber eyes (Mother to Flickclaw's kits: Graykit, a gray she-kit; and Amberkit, a dark gray she-cat with a ginger head)

**Ebonypelt- **black she-cat with green eyes (Mother to Fleetwhisker's kits: Scarkit, a mottled black tom; Ivykit, a tortoiseshell she-kit with white underbelly, chest, and paws; and Owlkit, a dark brown tom with a spotted chest. Adoptive mother to Pinekit, a black tom with pale yellow eyes; and Needlekit, a black tom with pale yellow eyes)

**Auburnnose- **white she-cat with a dark russet muzzle (Expecting Hivefur's kits)

_**Elders **_**Redpatch- **huge black and reddish-brown tom with milky blue eyes

**Ferretclaw- **cream-and-gray tom with green eyes

_**ThunderClan**_

_**Leader **_**Squirrelstar- **dark ginger she-cat with one white paw and green eyes

_**Deputy **_**Beestripe- **pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**_Medicine Cat _****Briarlight- **dark brown she-cat with limp back legs and amber eyes **(Apprentice: Ratpaw)**

_**Warriors **_**Lionblaze- **golden tabby tom with a graying muzzle and amber eyes

**Molefoot- **brown-and-cream tom with amber eyes

**Lilyfern- **dark tabby she-cat with white patches and amber eyes

**Seedspeck- **very pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Dewclaw- **gray tom with amber eyes

**Snowtail- **white tom with amber eyes

**Smokyfur- **gray tom with blue eyes

**Larchfeather- **ginger-and-white tom with green eyes **(Appprentice: Shortpaw)**

**Honeypelt- **creamy golden she-cat with amber eyes

**Stoneheart- **gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Fogcloud- **silver tabby tom with blue eyes

**Buzzardflight- **pale ginger tom with green eyes

**Shrewfur- **gray she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

**Blackstorm- **black tom with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Tallpaw)**

**Mossyfire- **tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Goldenblossom- **golden she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Longpaw)**

_**Apprentices **_**Ratpaw- **dark russet-orange tom with amber eyes

**Shortpaw- **short-legged tabby tom with hazy gray eyes

**Tallpaw- **tall ginger she-cat with amber eyes

**Longpaw- **gray she-cat with green eyes

_**Queens **_**Cinderheart- **gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Mother to Lionblaze's kits: Spottedkit, a spotted golden tom; and Willowkit, a soft-furred gray she-kit with big blue eyes)

**Amberear- **pale gray she-cat with white paws, muzzle, right ear, and amber eyes (Mother to Smokyfur's kits: Rockkit, a dark gray tom; Icekit, a white she-kit with gray paws; and Clearkit, a small tortoiseshell she-kit)

**Morningmist- **silver she-cat with yellow eyes (Mother to Blackstorm's kits: Flashkit, a black tom with a white muzzle; and Whitekit, a very pale gray she-kit)

_**Elders **_**Blossomfall- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Bumblestripe- **very pale gray tom with black stripes and blue eyes

**Ivypool- **silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

_**WindClan**_

_**Leader **_**Whiskerstar- **light brown tom with amber eyes

_**Deputy **_**Secretwhisper- **silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Thrushpaw)**

_**Medicine Cat**_** Moorfur- **wiry pale brown tom with amber eyes

_**Warriors**_** Ticklefeather- **white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Quickdash- **dark ginger tom with green eyes

**Antleg- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Thistlethorn- **dark brown tom with amber eyes

**Willowbranch- **gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Moonblaze- **tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Mistypaw)**

**Barkstem- **brown tom with green eyes

**Magpiewing- **gray tom with amber eyes

**Tuftpelt- **mottled dark tabby tom with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Streampaw)**

**Darkblossom- **black she-cat with green eyes

**Pebblefall- **gray tom with darker flecks

**Applesmoke- **light gray-and-brown she-cat

_**Apprentices **_**Thrushpaw- **gray-brown tom with green eyes

**Mistypaw- **black tom with gray eyes

**Streampaw- **gray she-cat with long, flowing whiskers

_**Queens **_**Fernpelt- **dark brown tabby she-kit with green eyes (Mother to Barkstem's kits: Rabbitkit, a ginger tom; and Earthkit, a brown tom)

**Berrytail- **tan she-cat with a black tail and blue eyes (Mother to Magpiewing's kits: Shallowkit, a dark tabby she-kit with white paws; Sweetkit, a tortoiseshell she-kit; and Hiddenkit, a gray tom with white chest and paws)

_**Elders **_**Furzepelt- **gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Boulderfur- **large, pale gray tom with blue eyes

**Twitchfoot- **gray-brown tom with green eyes, retired early due to lame foot

_**RiverClan**_

_**Leader **_**Graystar- **pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes** (Apprentice: Honeypaw)**

_**Deputy **_**Dustclaw- **light brown tom with amber eyes

**_Medicine Cat _****Pouncefoot- **tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**_Warriors _****Streamheart- **brown and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Creektail- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Waterdrop- **blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Beetleflight- **light gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Jumpleg- **gray tabby tom with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Mountainpaw)**

**Leapfur- **brown tom with green eyes

**Slugpelt- **brown tom with green eyes

**Horseblaze- **golden-brown tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Wingpaw)**

**Toadstoolleap- **brown tom with a white-spotted underbelly and amber eyes

**Brookflow- **silver-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Rustpelt- **reddish tom with amber eyes

**Calmbrook- **light gray tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

**_Apprentices _****Honeypaw- **friendly golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Mountainpaw- **dark tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Wingpaw- **long-haired black-and-white she-cat

**_Queens _****Hazeleaf- **white she-cat with gray-tipped ears and blue eyes (Mother to Rustpelt's kits: Freekit, a light brown tabby she-kit; and Cloudkit, a soft white she-kit)

**_Elders _****Floodwater- **bluish-gray tom with blue eyes

**Prologue**

_Winds whistled through the pines, creating _a wonderful _whooshing _sound that was music to Hummingbird's ears. The ShadowClan deputy's white teeth glinted in the darkness of the night-fallen forest as she spotted her prey.

Hunting out alone to get away from the constant thrum of the Clan, the ginger female was finding herself much more relaxed now. By the time she had two lizards hanging by their tails from her mouth, as well as a sizable mouse, Hummingbird was just about ready to head back, now missing the voices that were always around her.

She turned tail, paws soundless on the dead orange fallen pine needles. But then a different sound caught her attention; a faint mewl. Hummingbird froze, gently setting down her prey and spinning around, making her way back over the soft ground. Her brighter-than-lightning emerald eyes widened as she glimpsed a dark figure carrying two small kits through the undergrowth. Usually Clan instinct would call for Hummingbird to confront the trespasser, but the queen, who had a sickly tinge to her scent that now painted the area Hummingbird was in, didn't seem likely to steal any food.

Hummingbird's round gaze followed the dark cat as she struggled to carry her two small kits, she was so weak. The queen kept glancing upward every so often, as if she was looking for a tree to shelter under. Finally, after Hummingbird had followed her some distance, the unfamiliar female stopped her stumbling walk under a pair of pine trees.

The orange deputy blinked rapidly, all worries forgotten when she realized where the queen was. The twin pine trees! One of ShadowClan's fairly important landmarks, the Twin Pines were famous for being exactly like twins: growing exactly the same way, even the branches sprouting from their trunks were in the same place. What was the loner going to do there?

The queen dropped one kit beneath one pine tree. It mewled loudly and tried to crawl after her, but she ignored it, placing its sibling beneath the other pine. Then, before she thought anyone could see her, she darted off, to non-Clan territory Hummingbird was sure.

Hummingbird remained still, waiting a few moments until she was sure the queen was gone. Then she padded out to the poor abandoned kits, her ears flattened. ShadowClan had always made fun of ThunderClan for taking in loners. Yet, now, if ShadowClan took in these kits- which how could they not?- it would seem hypocritical.

But Hummingbird didn't care. Prey forgotten, she picked up both kits- two toms- and bounded back to camp, bursting in and going right up to the Clan leader, Tawnystar.

"Hummingbird? What is-" Tawnystar stopped herself, gasping when she saw the two tiny males dangling and struggling in Hummingbird's jaws. "What- where did you-"

"I found them," Hummingbird meowed, setting them down and catching her breath, "under the Twin Pines."

* * *

**Phew! -wipes sweat from brow- That took forever! I typed the allegiances from scratch XD**

**Hope you liked it! R&amp;R!**

**-Mossy**


	2. Moon 1 - Pine

**Thank you for those who reviewed so far. Amberstorm was wondering why cats who are younger than others are in the elders' den, and the older cats aren't. Well, in my version post-TLH and Bramblestar's Storm, I have it that Cinderheart and Lionblaze were about to retire when she had another litter of kits. So, I had him stay as a warrior until their second litter was older. That's why cats like Ivypool and Bumblestripe are already retired, because they didn't have unexpected kits :P**

**Enjoy! I'm really sorry it took forever to update, I had to formulate an idea to introduce our main characters here. Hopefully you will like it!**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter One - POV - _**P**_i_ne _\- Moon 1_

_All he felt was softness. Luxuriously _velvety fur cushioned him from all sides. What this strange stuff was, he had no idea. He tried to move. This resulted in him completely turning over onto his other side. His paw pad touched his chest during this, and he realized that he, too, was soft. Soft like his mother's fur. Mother...

He groaned, his lips unable to form the word. "Mmm-" Why couldn't he speak? Why- there was something in his throat. He tried to clear it, making loud noises that seemed to disturb the softness surrounding him. Finally he outright coughed, letting out a shrill cry of "Mother!"

"It's alright, little one," a female voice soothed him. A long tail stroked his spine, sending comforting chills and shudders through his tiny body. But, just as he was about to drift off again, he realized something and startled so much that he squeaked. His eyes flew open, thoughts swarming his developing mind. Most of them were in the context of _that's not Mother's voice _and _this cat can't be Mother! _

As he took in his surroundings, he realized that this was definitely not the cave where he, Furu; his brother, Nal; and Mother lived. He appeared to be in a den constructed of earthen walls. A couple more glances around told him that he was underground, in some old burrow. For what animal, he did not know. The only other creatures besides cats Mother told him and Nal about were dogs, foxes, and rabbits. Rabbits... he would kill for a rabbit right now. Mother had let him and Nal have a little taste of it even though they weren't weaned yet.

Mother was beautiful, a slim black she-cat with the most astounding pale green eyes he had ever seen. That was all he remembered about her. Where was she now?

He craned his neck and blinked in surprise as he saw an enormous black she-cat gazing back down at him. She looked hauntingly just like Mother- and for a split heartbeat he believed it was really her- but it wasn't; alas, her emerald eyes were just a few shades darker. And, despite the dim light, he knew it wasn't her. This she-cat's smell was completely different from Mother's. It was more plain, just sweet and milky. Mother's scent that clung to her day and night was more complex: musky, like the pine forest. Naturally calming, at least to her kits. And like rabbits. Delicious, juicy, fatty rabbits. Just one more taste of that meat, with Mother there, and Nal next to him, whining about when it would be his turn to take a bite...

"You've woken up," the she-cat above him murmured. Again her thick tail swept over him, and he winced as though her tail was a branch pulled from a rose bush. "You're a heavy sleepy," she marked in addition. "So is your brother. He hasn't even roused yet."

_Your brother. _He hadn't even been paying attention to anything else she was saying until she said that. His small head swung back and forth until his eyes snagged another black pelt. He felt a pang, but this time one of relief. Finally he would know someone in this awfully strange place! He pounced forward, quickly awakening the dark-furred kit.

There was a hiss, and he felt a prick in his shoulder. He launched himself backwards, trying to prevent any more pain to his body. Pain. He despised it. The worst pain he ever felt was when there had been a thorn in his pad, but Mother, being the expert at everything, pulled it out quickly. End of the pain. But this pain persisted, throbbing a bit. He tried to twist to see his shoulder, but his short neck couldn't stretch far enough for him to see. Huffing in frustration, he watched in confusion as the big she-cat scolded his brother. He was about to go up and confront her, despite the pain his brother had given him- it wasn't like his brother to do this, after all, maybe he was just tired still- when he noticed this black kit was different. His coat was more mottled, having a swirl of dark brown in his fur, making him not completely stark black like Mother, Nal, and this she-cat.

"He is your _brother_ now, Scarkit, and if I see you hurt him or his sibling again, you will be punished," the she-cat growled in warning to her apparent offspring.

He stumbled, turning away from them as he desperately scouted out for his brother in this enormous nest. He had to be here somewhere... there!

He ran as fast as he could on his chubby legs to get to the rising and falling black pelt. Then he threw himself on top of the fur, breathing in Nal's familiar scent. Someone here, someone he knew... now all he had left was Mother to find, and they could get out of here. "Get up, Nal!" he squeaked. "We need to find Mother and leave this..." His big eyes rolled all around the burrow one more time. "... place."

Right away his brother was up and ready for adventure. "Mother?" He looked at the unfamiliar she-cat starting to nudge two other bundles besides the mean "Scarkit"- whatever kind of name was that? "Isn't that- oh," he mumbled, realizing the darker tone of green glimmering in the female cat's gaze.

"I'm right here," the black she-cat purred, her pricked ears apparently picking up every syllable of their hushed conversation. She flicked her tail, and stiffly the brothers stalked over to her, exchanging glances with her kits: there were two more of them along with Scarkit, a tortoiseshell she-kit and a dark brown tom with a white-spotted chest. By the time all five cats were listening to her, she was gaping. "Wow. Same exact eyes. Same exact fur. It will be difficult to tell the two of you apart," she laughed gently.

Furu, always being the more talkative of the two, stood up and shook his head politely. "I'm sorry, but you won't have to worry about that. We'll be leaving as soon as we can find our mother."

Again the she-cat smiled. "I'm right here," she repeated, seeming very patient with them, unlike how short-tempered she had been when dealing with Scarkit. "I'm your mother now."

"No," Furu disagreed, this time less politely. "I'm pretty sure you're not. Mother... s- she had lighter green eyes than you. Much lighter. And she... she smelled different."

The she-cat bowed her head, this time seeming forlorn. "I apologize, little one. But... I am your new mother now. The mother you know left you in Clan territory. We took you in and I decided to adopt you along with my kits since you are both about one moon old. I know this will be difficult for you to understand, but you are both of ShadowClan now."

"ShadowClan?" mewed Nal quietly. Furu was just as puzzled as his brother. First Scarkit, then ShadowClan... what was with these cats and weird names? And why had Mother abandoned them? Surely this was just a nightmare?

"This group of cats is called ShadowClan. There are also three other Clans that live here. But you can learn all that later. For now, it's important that we get names settled, so there won't be confusion. How about-"

Furu interrupted her. "We already have names, thanks. I'm Furu and this is Nal," he squeaked, flicking his tail at his littermate.

"Ah," the she-cat grinned. "And lovely names they are. But to be part of ShadowClan, you need to have names like me: Ebonypelt. Or your new siblings, Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit." She pointed to each kit with her tail as she named them. Ivykit was the tortoiseshell and Owlkit the brown tom.

"Okay, whatever," Furu muttered, planning to escape the moment he could. Probably tonight, he decided, sneaking a glance at the exit to the burrow. Daylight streamed inside now, brighter than ever, gradually consuming the dimness that had swallowed the space earlier.

"I suppose I could choose your names," Ebonypelt meowed thoughtfully. "Or would you like to?"

"Just choose them for us," Furu answered, barely listening.

Ebonypelt dipped her head. She met one yellow gaze, and then another. "You," she said, looking directly at Furu. "You will be Pinekit."

Furu blinked. "Why the _-kit_? Why not just Pine?"

"This is the Clan way, and it has been for countless generations," Ebonypelt retorted. She dipped her head at Nal. "You shall be Needlekit."

Nal shuddered. "Aren't needles those pointy things on the ground?"

"Only pointy on the ends," Ebonypelt responded. "Softer than moss when you walk on top of them."

Nal, now Needlekit, arched his brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ebonypelt only chuckled and curled her tail around Pinekit and Needlekit, smiling widely. _Smiling seems to be a disease everyone has here, _Pinekit thought bitterly as he also noticed Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit showing off their teeth somewhat forcibly.

"You're safe with us now," Ebonypelt whispered, cuddling the kits close to her. Pinekit couldn't resist squirming. He didn't like the tone in her voice. _Protective. Even more than Mother. Besides, Mother wasn't that protective if she left us open to predators... _

* * *

**I hope you liked it! I will try to update as much as I can, but keep in mind that I will be traveling again soon and won't be active during that time.**

**-Mossy**


	3. Moon 1 - Needle

**Thanks for five total reviews! I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Two - POV - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e - Moon 1_

_Needlekit didn't like to play. Specifically, _he didn't like to play-fight. Why have violence when difficulties can simply be solved with an exchange of words?

He observed Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit 'play-fight' from a safe distance. It was disgusting, truthfully. Scuffling around for nothing, wasting your breath pummeling your sibling for no reason. There hadn't been a disagreement of any kind, and this was far from training to battle for real, so again, why? What was the point?

"He should've gone for her belly," Pinekit mewed from his place next to his brother. They watched as Owlkit failed again to smack his flailing paw on Ivykit's flattened ears. "It was wide open while she was focused on Scarkit."

Needlekit wrinkled his nose. _Scarkit. _What kind of name was that? The kit had nary a scratch on his entire body. Maybe something was hidden beneath that coating of night-colored fur? But then again, what kind of scars could Scarkit have possibly obtained in his one moon of life? Perhaps Ebonypelt had named him Scarkit in the hopes he would become scarred in no time. Seemed ill-minded.

"Kits!" Ebonypelt called, emerging from the old burrow they called the nursery. "Time to eat."

"Finally!" Pinekit practically yowled. "I'm so starving I could eat three rabbits!"

Owlkit and Ivykit filed into the dim den without any words on their tongues. However, Scarkit halted in the entrance, blocking Pinekit and Needlekit. "Rabbits?" the small tom growled. "Gross. Haven't you ever heard of milk?"

Pinekit blinked. "Uh, yeah. We were all young once. Our mother let us try rabbit, though. Didn't yours?"

"Obviously not," Scarkit said, lifting his perfectly-triangular nose in the air. "Then we wouldn't be talking about this."

_Not as much of a dimwit as I thought, _Needlekit mused, barely listening to the conversation as he went on in his mind. _Scarkit really should smooth down that tuft of fur sticking up on his head. It's quite a nuisance to his appearance. And to me, for that matter. _

His brother and Scarkit resumed the argument until Ebonypelt poked her head out of the hole, nudging aside Scarkit. "What are you waiting for? Come down here now."

The trio of toms slowly trailed the queen into the nursery. Inside, they found Ebonypelt already curled in her nest, Ivykit and Owlkit suckling. Scarkit joined them without a second thought. Pinekit and Needlekit hesitated.

"Go on," Ebonypelt urged. "There's room for two more."

Pinekit and Needlekit glanced at each other. "No way," Pinekit proclaimed, glancing back at her. "We only drink our blood mother's milk."

Needlekit stood there stiff, watching as Ebonypelt sighed. "You two need to eat."

"We're not drinking your milk," Pinekit retorted.

Ebonypelt frowned. "Then I guess you'll starve," she meowed bluntly.

"Ebonypelt!" a brown-gray she-cat yelled, shocked, from her nest across the den. Two gray she-kits sat in front of her, wide-eyed. "What a thing to say."

"Sorry, Appletail," Ebonypelt muttered. "But they will learn the hard way if they don't-"

Just then, Needlekit launched himself into the nest and started suckling next to Ivykit. Quickly his belly was filled, and he backed away, licking his lips.

Pinekit just gazed at him, jaw dropped. "Wha- why-" his brother started, but Needlekit cut in and muttered, "Just drink it."

Unhurriedly, his brother clomped over to the others and began to drink. He didn't stop until the other three were finished. Then he stepped back, turned to Needlekit, and smiled, white droplets decorating his chin.

**o3o**

Night settled in quickly. Their first night here. And their last, Pinekit seemed sure of it. Needlekit was hunched over quietly as his brother spilled their escape plan.

"... then we sneak out through their dirtplace. Foolproof, huh?" Pinekit beamed, apparently proud of this.

Needlekit narrowed his eyes. "But what if we don't leave?"

Pinekit was incredulous. "Huh? Of course we're gonna leave! We're gonna travel around and find Mother again."

"What if we don't find her? And we get stuck out in the wilderness with no one to protect us?" Needlekit wondered aloud.

His sibling didn't answer. "Fine. Then we stay," Pinekit said bitterly. "Have it your way."

"You don't have to stay just because I am," Needlekit replied. "You can go if you want to go."

"No, we stick together," Pinekit insisted. "How could we ever be separate?"

One pair of yellow eyes met another. Then, as one, the two settled to sleep after reentering the nursery.

* * *

**It will get more exciting, but I wrote this chapter in a way to show the brothers' differences. Pinekit is more rambunctious and talkative, while Needlekit is quiet and shy.**

**-Mossy**


	4. Moon 2 - Pine

**Thanks for getting me to 12 reviews, guys!**

**I know last chapter was super-short, but I promise it will be longer (and I hope better) this time. **

**Know that I read all your reviews and appreciate each one. If you're confused by something, just ask and I'll respond.**

**Also, I will try my best to follow a new schedule from now on, meaning this will be updated every Wednesday. However, since next Wednesday, 11/12, I will be on vacation, so I doubt I will be able to write then. So expect the next update for this to be on 11/19!**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Three - POV - _**P**_i_ne _\- Moon 2_

Pinekit decided to take the time to meet each and every warrior. After all, he and Needlekit had been here for a moon now, and knew barely five cats, give or take.

He approached a group of warriors sporting gray-flecked muzzles and frayed ear-tips from moons of battles. "Hey," Pinekit meowed loudly, in case they were hard of hearing. But they all noticed him, and turned toward him.

"Hello there," a tortoiseshell tom with large ginger patches licked his chips as he lifted his muzzle away from the frog he was consuming. Pinekit tried to avoid looking at the fresh-kill. He was still a rabbit fan.

A dark ginger she-cat with milky green eyes tilted her head and studied Pinekit. "Now, which brother are you?" she rasped. "I know the two new kits in Ebonypelt's litter are Pinekit and Needlekit, but apparently you two look the same."

Pinekit dipped his head. "We do," he consented. "Except for one thing. Can you guess which one I am?"

The last senior warrior, a black tom with white strands of fur all over his body, chuckled. "How can we guess which one you are if we don't know the thing that distinguishes you from your sibling?"

"Wait, hold on, Spikeclaw," the ginger she-cat interrupted. "Before we start the guessing game, let's introduce ourselves. She swung her large head to face Pinekit. "I'm Russetshine, little one," she mewed gently. "My parents said I was named after a great ShadowClan deputy, Russetfur, who was killed in battle."

"By a ThunderClan warrior, no less," the tortoiseshell tom growled. He softened his expression when he glanced at Pinekit, though. "Never mind that. I'm her brother, Flamedapple. I was named after a ShadowClan medicine cat, Flametail, who drowned. Funny thing is, a ThunderClan cat dove into the freezing lake to save him, but came back up empty-pawed, I was told."

Spikeclaw introduced himself as well, but Pinekit was hardly listening. Now he was intrigued by this ThunderClan. He politely waited until Spikeclaw was finished with his spiel, then chirped, "Cool. But, um, can I hear more about ThunderClan? They sound like bad cats."

Flamedapple opened his mouth to speak, but Russetshine stopped him. "That's just how he perceives them," she assured Pinekit, lashing her tail at her littermate. "ThunderClan borders us to the left, in a more open forest. And they don't have pine trees. Who knows how they live like that," she _mrrowed_.

"Right now their leader is Squirrelstar, who is the daughter of Firestar. He was very famous for many things, mostly a boring list," Spikeclaw went on, rolling his eyes.

Pinekit's whiskers quivered in amusement. "Do you have... battles with ThunderClan?" He had heard about fighting before, and was immediately fascinated by it. The only flesh he had ever buried his talons into was that of a rabbit; but the flesh of his own kind? Interesting.

"Not for a while," Russetshine said, eyeing him in what Pinekit took as alarm. He scoffed inwardly at this; _how can she possibly expect a kit like me to be thirsty for blood? Though the idea of showing an adversary my claws is quite appealing. _

"Anyway," Flamedapple cut in swiftly, finishing off his frog and nudging away the remains, a few scraps of thin chartreuse skin. "We were guessing if you're Pinekit or Needlekit."

Russetshine inclined her head, slurping up some meat from a vole. When she had swallowed, she nodded and said. "I don't know what distinguishes you two, but my guess is you're Needlekit."

"Needlekit?" Pinekit exclaimed, almost incredulously. He stopped himself, however, as the three older warriors were blinking at him. "I- I mean... good guess. S- Spikeclaw?"

Spikeclaw also said Needlekit. Pinekit's agitation blossomed. _Do they know my brother? Aren't we, like, polar opposites? Or are we just the same, one the shadow of the other? _He ground the earth at his paws into a fine dust. _And if so, which one is the shadow? _

Flamedapple sighed, staring at Pinekit, deep in thought. The tom's green eyes made Pinekit feel uncomfortable, and the ebony kit edged away a tad. Finally the tortoiseshell warrior settled with Needlekit as well. "I don't mean to copy their guesses," he mewed. "But, well, it's pretty obvious."

Now Pinekit was downright angry. Unbeknownst to him, only his paranoid thoughts had made him furious, not the warriors' innocent guesses, of course. In a low growl, Pinekit announced his true identity and then slithered away, dark clouds over him as the senior warriors gazed after him, feeling a bit bad.

**o3o**

"Have you, by any chance, been acting a lot like me lately?" Pinekit inquired his brother casually later that day, as they watched the bloody sunset fade to indigo through the dense treetops.

Needlekit shook his head. "What would 'acting like you' mean anyway?"

"I dunno," Pinekit sighed, resorting to gnawing at his claws, which were still caked with earth after his earlier fiasco. "It's just that today three warriors guessed I was you. I mean, are we just gonna live our whole lives the same cat? We look the same, but surely there is something that separates us?" _Because when I said there was something that makes us different... I was lying. _

"All I know is," Needlekit proclaimed as he rose to his full height, the exact same as Pinekit's, "that I'm not going to spend my life cowering in your shadow." He made to go in the nursery, but Pinekit stopped him.

"Even if we do drift apart someday," the black tom murmured, dawn-sky-colored eyes wide, "promise me that won't drive a nasty wedge between us." He moved closer to Needlekit and added in a whisper, "Brothers until death do us part."

Needlekit stared at him, and for a heartbeat Pinekit believed there was a spark of amusement in his littermate's eyes. But then Needlekit, with a single curt nod, whirled back around and blended into the nursery's dark interior, yellow optics hidden once more.

**o3o**

"The Gathering's tonight!" Pinekit heard one of the always overexcited apprentices, Blizzardpaw, gush a few sunsets later. _How can you tell? I can barely see through this cursed trees. _But following a few moments of vigorous searching, Pinekit managed to spot the full moon. He glanced back down, wishing fiercely he could attend. He was significantly more mature than most of the apprentices- meaning Blizzardpaw- not to mention how anxious he was to meet a fellow rank of his, but in ThunderClan. Even WindClan or RiverClan would do; all Pinekit knew was that he was sick of seeing ShadowClan all around him constantly.

But no. Tawnystar, the knobby-legged, so-old-she-was-almost-crumbling-into-dust leader, hobbled onto the meeting ledge and enunciated the name of each cat who was going; each name brought another annoying weight onto Pinekit's shoulders. Blizzardpaw's squeal when she heard she was going to be a member of the Gathering audience nearly made his ears bleed and then burst into flame. As scattered as Pinekit's thoughts were that night, one subject kept returning to him, prodding his brain: _ThunderClan. ThunderClan. ThunderClan. _

Pinekit was curled, enveloped in shadow, as he named each Clanmate who walked past him, departing to go to that wretched meeting. _Tawnystar... Hummingbird... Mistcloud... Volepaw... Spikeclaw... Twigpelt... Speckfall... Fleetwhisker... Chillgaze... Hivefur... Archstripe... and Blizzardpaw. _

Once the aggravating pasty-furred apprentice had exited, Pinekit prided himself with a gloating smile on how he could now name every cat in the Clan. It had just taken some time well spent, closed in, in the shadows, observing his Clanmates and what they called each other. Of course, now that all these names crowded his mind, he needed to know more. Learn how many he would... be allied with. ShadowClan wasn't having troubles with another Clan at the moment, surely?

He supposed he'd find out.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter! The first few paragraphs I had already written a while ago, so it was easier to do XD**

**I had an idea yesterday, where I would create one-shots based on the lives of each cat who inspired a code in the warrior code. Tell me what you think, and thanks for reading! (If you guys like the warrior code one-shot idea, it would replace ASLNO.)**

**-Mossy**


	5. Moon 2 - Needle

**I am so so so so so so so so so (and so on...) sorry for not updating when I said I would! I promise I will try to be better with updating, this story especially. I love the whole idea, it's just so hard to get it all out onto paper (aka my screen), ya know?**

**Thanks for the feedback, anything helps! I try to adjust as I see necessary, and I agree with everything you all have said so far. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter ^^"**

**Happy holidays!**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Four - POV - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e __\- Moon 2_

Crunching awoke Needlekit some time after he dozed off, and the petite tom was hardly surprised to see it was merely the pawsteps of his Clanmates. _Returning from that meeting, _he thought, yawning and stretching, accidentally treading on Scarkit in the process. The mottled kit grumbled but didn't make sound besides that, so Needlekit continued on his way, still flexing his claws and rolling his shoulders when he bumped into his brother.

"Oh," he grunted, looking at Pinekit, who appeared thoroughly disgruntled. "Who put mouse bile in your fresh-kill?"

Pinekit curled his lip. "Using Clan slang already, I see," he said, smoothing down his ruffled fur and returning to his previous activity of leaning against the wall. "And no one, anyway. I just wanted to go to that Gathering is all."

"What's the big deal?" Needlekit mewed, taking a seat beside his sibling, pale yellow gaze fixed on Tawnystar limping up to the meeting ledge. There was some rustling indicating awakening cats behind, but he ignored it.

He felt his littermate's fur spike up again, and he edged away, apprehensive. "_What's _the big deal, Needlekit?" Pinekit demanded, shock clear on his face. "By going to these meetings, ShadowClan learns about its allies and enemies. From what I've heard, each Clan announces its news: you know, foxes chased off the territory, scarce prey, other weaknesses..."

"_Or _just new kits, apprentices, and warriors," Needlekit pointed out. He bared his teeth a little when he was knocked aside by the huge, five-moon-old sisters Graykit and Amberkit. Their mother, Appletail, followed them, also nearly flattening him. "It's also obvious we're still not completely welcome here," he muttered in addition.

Pinekit's whiskers twitched and he asked out of the blue, "Do you think she announced us at the Gathering?"

"Dunno," Needlekit replied. But now he was curious, too: _This was the first Gathering we've been here for, so if Tawnystar announced us at all this was the one she'd do it at. _

Their thoughtful silence was interrupted by Tawnystar's ceremonious call. However, this wasn't for a ceremony, but merely for announcing what the other leaders had spoken.

Needlekit stuck close to his brother as they weaved among the cats. On the way, Needlekit, bemused with himself, made sure to step on Amberkit's paw. The identical pair then chose a seat in the third row of the crowd, right at the edge, also all the way across the clearing from Ebonypelt and her kits. At one point, the dark-furred queen caught Needlekit's eye, but before she could make a gesture toward him he swiftly turned away and focused his attention on Tawnystar.

"All the Clans are well," Tawnystar croaked, stumbling a little even though she had been standing still. "ThunderClan has two new kits, born to Morningmist and Blackstorm, a she-cat and tom; Flashkit and Whitekit. They also have a new elder, Ivypool, who has finally retired after serving her Clan for many moons."

There was a faint murmur that arose from the assembled ShadowClan cats, something that sounded quite bored. Needlekit frowned, still blinking up at Tawnystar as silence dawned upon them again. They could all hear the air rattling through her lungs before she went on.

"WindClan has been having some trouble with hawks trying to steal kits on their open territory, though luckily no one has been taken yet. Whiskerstar claimed they were handling the situation fine, since of course Squirrelstar offered to help, classic ThunderClan." Tawnystar laughed, but it was very scratchy and had a touch of sadness. "WindClan also has three new apprentices: Thrushpaw, Mistypaw, and Streampaw, apprenticed to Secretwhisper, Moonblaze, and Tuftpelt.

"Finally, RiverClan... Graystar made sure to elaborate on how plentiful fish has been for them in their river; no wonder, it is greenleaf, isn't it? And a new warrior for them, Calmbrook."

The announcements ended, and when Tawnystar flicked her tail to dismiss the meeting, several warriors scrambled up the ledge to help her down. The night remained in the sky, a suspended, endless blackness that made Needlekit feel more tired than ever. "Well, back to bed, then?" he said to Pinekit.

Pinekit scuffled his paws on the earth. "But... I see dawn," he protested, eyeing the sky hopefully, as if what he had said would come true.

Needlekit sighed and shook his head. "Fine, stay up. But don't blame me when you're exhausted in the morning."

"It is morning!" Pinekit stubbornly called after him, but Needlekit had already closed his ears to his brother. _Tough little git. Oh well, _he thought, a cheerful smirk on his face as he trotted back to the nursery. He had just curled back into the nest, breathing in the scents of his adopted littermates, when a very intriguing conversation commenced right outside the den entrance.

Needlekit had already started to pretend he was asleep, and though he had been sliding into unconsciousness, he forced himself to prick his ears a bit to catch the mumbled words flooding into the den.

"Anything else she said that was interesting? Particularly about... well, you know?"

Needlekit opened one eye; Appletail and her prissy daughters were absent from their nest, so no one was facing him anyway. He peeled open his other eye and glanced at the area where light filtered in from the entrance.

"No, why would she, she didn't announce any other expecting queens and Auburnnose hasn't kitted yet, it wouldn't make sense. Besides, we all know she wouldn't dream of admitting she accepted rogues into the Clan, when that was all ThunderClan did during Firestar's reign."

A mean snicker left the first speaker. "True. Squirrelstar would have a fit, she acts like her father is the leader of StarClan."

"Old bat has no idea what she's even saying..."

A sharp, irritated voice sliced into the nasty conversation. "I suggest you two get some sleep, because you're both going on the dawn patrol." _Hummingbird. _"And think before you use the term 'old bat' around here. Someone could think you're talking about a different cat!"

Thankfully, the deputy's warning had silenced the two warriors, and they walked by the den with glares on their faces. Needlekit had to lean forward to be able to tell who they were: Archstripe and Smolderfire. His stomach lurched at what Pinekit would say if he had heard the two young warriors. _Let's hope he didn't. _

* * *

**Hope you liked it, see you at the next update :D**


	6. Moon 3 - Pine

**Omg I can't believe I almost have 20 reviews! Tysm everyone! :"D Especially you Grasswing, I am so glad you like it!**

**Enjoy and happy new year C:**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Five - POV - _**P**_i_ne _\- Moon 3_

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath me for a Clan meeting!"

Pinekit flicked his whiskers, bemused. _Well, this is new. _It was barely a quarter-moon since that Gathering, though both he and his brother were now three moons old. Feeling older already, he puffed out his chest and marched across the clearing to meet Needlekit, who was consuming a lizard with delicate bites.

He snorted in laughter at his brother, whose head snapped up to glare at him incredulously. "Can I help you?"

"Well... you eat like an elderly she-cat," Pinekit guffawed, pulling the lizard over to himself since his belly was rumbling like an angry warrior. "Let me show you how a cat our age eats." He then delved into the fresh-kill, burying his entire face into it and wolfing down three mouthfuls at a time. Finally, once the lizard was totally the opposite of skinned, he surfaced and was about to brag to his littermate when he realized Needlekit wasn't even there. He swung his head around, bits of meat flying off his messy face, and finally found the other black tom sitting and listening to Tawnystar. He had totally forgotten about the meeting in his haste to eat!

Pinekit made his way through the crowd, ignoring irritated grunts as he forced his way through the rows until he reached Needlekit, who had saved a spot for him. He sat his rump against the dusty earth and faced the front.

Tawnystar was doing something with Graykit and Amberkit; then she realized it must be a ceremony of some sort. "Your name is now Graypaw," Tawnystar rasped, resting her muzzle very briefly on the ash-colored she-cat's head before scanning the rest of her Clan. Finally she gestured forward a dark brown tom who was so well-muscled Pinekit feared he could crush a kit if he stepped on one. "Tortoisestep, you will mentor Graypaw. Redpatch taught you well and I have no doubt you will pass on all of your knowledge to Graypaw." Tortoisestep's dark green eyes twinkled as he tapped his nose against Graypaw's.

Pinekit blinked. That was it? Have a new name forced on you, have some random warrior you may not even like forced on you, and touch noses with that random warrior?

Amberkit's tail quivered as she waited for the tortoiseshell leader to give her a new name. Finally Tawnystar croaked, barely standing herself (though it wasn't from excitement), "Amberkit, you have also reached six moons of age. From now on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be Amberpaw. Your mentor is Lintpelt." A very plain-looking, skinny gray tom with lumpy fur teetered to the front. He smiled as Tawnystar yawned on about his own mentor and training, then touched noses with Amberpaw.

Tawnystar gave a lavish wave of her tail, which nearly knocked her off her paws. This was a clear dismissal, as the clustered ShadowClan cats were now disassembling.

Pinekit was about to return to the 'kill pile to see if there were any final scraps to pull off that lizard, but he was dragged to the empty nursery by his brother. Finally Needlekit dropped him in the center of the deserted den and, surprised by his strength, Pinekit grumbled disdainfully and dusted himself off.

"Brother, I- I heard something a few nights ago and I think I should tell you what it was," Needlekit began, frowning thoughtfully as if he was still trying to convince himself this was the right thing to do.

Pinekit sighed. "Well, I have something to say too. Can you _believe _the nerve these Clans have? I mean, they've already changed our name once; and now when we reach six moons they'll change it again..." He went on and on, ignoring his brother's perturbed expression, thinking Needlekit was just as annoyed as he was about this.

When he had finished, Needlekit heaved a sigh. "Okay, now that you're _done_, I'm going to speak. So a few nights ago, I heard two warriors-"

"Who?"

Needlekit's lip twitched. "Archstripe and Smolderfire-"

"Ugh, never liked those two," Pinekit shook his head and stuck his tongue out in distaste. "You reckon they're littermates?"

"I... I don't know!" Needlekit said quickly. "Anyway, I heard them talking... about us." _What?! _"And they clearly don't like us-"

"That's not anything new," Pinekit pointed out, though his fur was prickling at the very thought of being pointed at behind his back.

"They _clearly _don't like us, because one was wondering if Tawnystar announced us at the Gathering." Needlekit gulped. "Apparently she didn't."

For once, Pinekit spoke without previously interrupting his brother. "That old-"

"_Don't_," Needlekit murmured, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Someone's coming!" Desperately, he looked around, then yanked some moss out of Ebonypelt's nest. "C'mon, let's make it look like we were playing moss-ball."

Pinekit was about to scoff that he wouldn't be caught dead acting like a newborn, but reconsidered, and when the moss-ball came tumbling toward him, he smacked it back toward his sibling.

Ebonypelt entered the den, barely skimming her gaze over them and the moss-ball before glancing over shoulder back outside. "Pinekit, Needlekit, you must leave, Auburnnose is coming!"

Pinekit blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "We can stay while-"

Needlekit shut him up by yanking him toward the exit after the black queen. Moments after they exited, a panting Auburnnose was escorted into the den by her mate, Hivefur. Mistcloud, the elderly medicine cat, hopped in front of him before we could enter with a rattling laugh. "Now, now, what's about to happen only a medicine cat and queens should see," she warned him before slipping into the den, Volepaw on her tail, jaws crammed with supplies. Ebonypelt followed, gripping a thick stick and sporting a worried expression.

"What is going on?" demanded Pinekit, baffled.

Needlekit stared at the pacing Hivefur before turning to his brother and arching his brow. "Auburnnose is kitting," he mewed. "Best stay away."

Pinekit shuddered. "Thank StarClan we didn't stay!" He hesitated, then pulled his brother to a secluded area behind the elders' den. "So what were you saying about Archdirt and Scuffyfire?"

A look of mild surprise passed over Needlekit's face, but replaced it quickly with a chuckle. "It was just that they weren't surprised Tawnystar didn't announce us," he meowed, smile falling. "Ya know, 'cause we were 'rogues' or whatever."

Pinekit growled. "What difference does it make? Their ancestors were rogues once," he protested, the word strange and uncomfortable on his tongue, like stringy meat.

"Yeah, but it was still a long time ago since their original ancestors lived," Needlekit argued softly. "ThunderClan has always been the one not exactly composed of pure-bloods. ShadowClan has always prided itself on not accepting anyone not born in the pine forest... but I suppose they couldn't turn us away, since we were kits and not weaned yet."

"Isn't it part of that silly warrior code?"

Needlekit pursed his lips. "It's not silly," he disagreed again, though this time more fiercely. "The warrior code is what these cats live by. By deeming it 'silly', you're basically disregarding your future."

Pinekit flexed his claws and embedded in the ground. "You mean, showing my _rogue _past?"

"Well, we do need to start thinking more about a Clan way of life," Needlekit said. "ShadowClan took us in, despite misgivings some of the cats have. We should respect how Tawnystar and Humming-"

"Tawnystar?" Pinekit spat in disbelief. Needlekit's pale eyes widened in alarm and he slapped his tail over Pinekit's mouth so he was more muffled. "She didn't even acknowledge us at that Gathering," he growled around the black fur.

"But apparently Hummingbird was the one who found us after Mother abandoned us," Needlekit meowed gently, now sounding more exhausted than exasperated. "So at least give her some credit."

With one last lash of his tail, Needlekit stood and departed, lingering by the curious crowd surrounding the nursery.

As Auburnnose's yowls split the concerned silence that had formerly settled over the clearing, Pinekit silently fumed. _Why should we respect others if they don't respect _us_?_

* * *

**There you go! I already have one kit for Auburnnose's litter in mind, but I would like three more! The first three OCs posted, preferably from THREE SEPARATE PEOPLE, will be used. If I don't get that many, I will make up my own :)**

**-Mossy**


	7. Moon 3 - Needle

**Yeahhh so I was gonna update this sooner, but then my computer closed my web browser window and it wasn't saved, so I lost all I had written. Obviously I still could have updated in the three months since, but I didn't, and I apologize. Anyways, the three OCs I chose to be along with Coldkit in Auburnnose's litter are:**

**Ravenkit (white with black streaks, she-kit) - Snowfall16**

**Featherkit (light brown and ginger, she-kit) - leafie**

**Hailkit (white, tom) - an anonymous fan**

**Thanks for submitting them! They won't be major characters, but they won't be completely background ones either. They'll be around especially during Pine and Needle's apprentice moons, and as Coldkit gains more attention.**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Six - POV - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e - Moon 3_

"Surely kitbirth isn't _that _painful," sighed Pinekit.

Needlekit glanced over at his brother. The black kit identical to him was crouched on the ground with his rump in the air and his paws stuffed in his ears. Needlekit smirked and nudged Pinekit so that he would unclog his ears a moment.

Unfortunately, it was bad timing. As soon as Pinekit's paws were unscrewed from his ears, another caterwaul exploded into the air, as abrupt as startled birds flying out of a thick-leafed tree.

"Sorry," Needlekit apologized, wincing, as soon as he could hear himself think again. "I was just going to say that it's like Auburnnose and Mistcloud are having a contest for who can screech louder."

Right on cue, Mistcloud shouted some encouraging words to the kitting queen. Even though the elderly medicine cat's worn voice was muffled by the nursery walls, Needlekit could make out every syllable from beginning to end.

"Ha, ha. That was totally worth busting an eardrum over," Pinekit replied tartly.

**o3o**

_Ten screams, five exclamations of encouragement, and fifty anxious father-to-be laps around the camp later: all is silent. It's been seasons since the cats of ShadowClan have experienced peace this long, peace this quiet, peace this extraordinary..._

Needlekit paused the log in his head, lifting his chin from his paws and opening his eyes. They had been closed a while and the camp looked as if a blue film had settled over Needlekit's eyes. The small tom shook himself and rose to his paws. He finally realized that Pinekit was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, the camp was deserted, save for some cats exiting the nursery. _Oh... everyone must be visiting the newborns._

And that's exactly what it was. Needlekit squeezed between Evesky and Chillgaze's flanks, barely able to breathe. The nursery was the stuffiest it had ever been, and the black tom was winded thanks to the depleted oxygen supply by the time he reached the front of the line.

"Hey, line cutter!" Needlekit turned to see Amberpaw, with her fangs bared. "Back of the line if you want to see the kits."

Needlekit glared up at her and wrinkled her nose as if she was crowfood. "All I want to know is if anyone has seen Pine-"

"He's with me, Amber," Pinekit meowed, appearing out of nowhere to stand at Needlekit's side. The other black-furred kit eyed the riled apprentice's face. "Hey, calm down. Take a few poppy seeds, eh? It's just kits."

Pinekit steered his brother around and led him deeper into the den. "Thanks for saving me back there," Needlekit breathed in his ear. "I'm afraid my handsome pelt might have become lining for her nest."

"What? I didn't catch that, that's my bad ear," Pinekit told him, flicking his other ear. Needlekit repeated what he said on Pinekit's other side, and his littermate nodded and smirked. "Yeah, skinning you sounds like something she might do. Anyway, sorry about the whole ear thing. Though I guess it was worth losing some hearing to be able to see these kits. They're not _just kits_. They're the darnedest little things; tiny little paws and tiny little tails and tiny little ears..."

They finally reached the front of the line, and slipped between Crowflight's bouncing paws to look down into Auburnnose's nest.

Needlekit was stunned. "T- these are cats?" His incredulous outburst was immediately regretted, as proud father Hivefur narrowed aloof amber eyes at him. Needlekit backtracked. "I mean... I mean, they're just so amazing, I can't believe they're only little cats!"

"Hey, we looked like that once. Just stop before you get smacked," Pinekit grunted, settling down to watch the wriggling, half-dry bundles of fur.

Needlekit scuffed his paws on the ground; then he decided to redeem himself instead of face an awkward silence. "Have you named them yet?"

Hivefur's expression considerably softened, and he answered, "Yes." He leaned forward and gingerly placed a paw on a black-and-brown tom. "This robust fellow here is Coldkit. A good, fierce name for a strong, fierce ShadowClan warrior." He moved on to a she-kit who at first looked white, but when Needlekit looked closer, he realized that there were black streaks on her back that looked similar to wings. "Ravenkit." The next newborn was light brown dappled with ginger; she was Featherkit. The final, smallest kit was pure, ivory-white just like Auburnnose excluding the russet muzzle. He was Hailkit.

"Those are fantastic names," Pinekit gushed. "You lucked out: two toms and two she-kits."

Needlekit blinked down at Coldkit, Ravenkit, Featherkit, and Hailkit. So far, they were blind and deaf and their only goal in life was to drink milk until they burst. They had yet to discover so many wonderful and horrible things in the world. They were still innocent.

Needlekit wondered if he could say the same.

**o3o**

A half-moon later, Auburnnose finally released her energy-charged kits from under her overprotective wing so they could explore outside.

Pinekit and Needlekit sat a safe distance away, their tails curled neatly over their paws. Needlekit glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye, and noticed that they had the exact same posture and content grin on their face; one could look their way and think they were seeing double.

Hivefur was giving his children a tour of the place, and the golden warrior led the multicolored crew over to the twins.

Needlekit was pleasantly surprised to see how much the kits had developed in such a small amount of time. Their stubby legs had lengthened enough for them to toddle rather than crawl; their eyes were open and bright with curiosity as they flitted about the camp; and their ears were perked up and taking in every grunt even a mouse produced.

Featherkit clung close to her father as they advanced on Pinekit and Needlekit. "Daddy," she whispered to him. "There's... there's two of the same cat!"

"Not at all, darling," Hivefur disagreed gently. He used his tail to pull Featherkit out from underpaw and presented her and her siblings to the two toms. "This is Pinekit, and this is Needlekit," he introduced them. Then he frowned quizzically. "Right?"

"Right," Needlekit said, even though he was pretty sure Hivefur, when pointing to him, had said "Pinekit".

"Yeah, we see them in the nursery all the time. Big whoop," squeaked Coldkit. His amber eyes were already trained on the next thing, the fresh-kill pile. "Woah, is that dead prey?" Before Hivefur could respond, he raced over to it and poked a dead lizard in the eye. "Cool!"

Needlekit rolled his eyes. _Well, he's _that _kit in the litter. _

Ravenkit stepped forward from behind Hailkit, blinking huge dark eyes at the brothers. "H- hi," she whispered.

Needlekit's heart trembled a little between beats. He swallowed and said back, "Hi."

* * *

**Cuteness overloaddddd**


	8. Moon 4 - Pine

**Welcome back to another update of TWIN PINES! We are now on moon 4, as relationships begin developing and tragedy strikes...**

**Yes, I did say tragedy, so that means this'll be a good chapter...**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Seven - _**P**_i_ne _\- Moon 4_

Pinekit and Needlekit were halfway through their fourth moon when ShadowClan returned home from the Gathering one particular night in a huff.

"What's up with them?" Pinekit asked, padding up to his brother, who had been sitting close enough to overhear the cats' irritated muttering.

"Apparently we're having issues with RiverClan," Needlekit replied, rising to his paws and turning to face Pinekit. "The river shifted a little, so they want to change the border between them and us so that it still matches the river. However, that means they would get a little bit more territory and we'd get a little less. I heard Twigpelt say we might go into battle over this." When he was finished explaining, Pinekit was staring at him in shock. Needlekit licked his chest fur sheepishly. "What? I have good memory-"

But that wasn't what Pinekit was amazed by. "Battle!" the lithe black tom breathed, collapsing onto his rump with huge moon-like eyes. "We might go into battle, Needlekit! Do you realize what this means?"

Used to the interruptions by now, Needlekit merely sighed and sat back down next to his littermate. "I suppose I don't know what this means. What does it-"

"It means... it means..."

"It means...?"

"It means that we'll get to fight!" Pinekit yowled, though luckily his voice didn't carry far enough for them to receive many disgusted looks.

Needlekit frowned and furrowed his brow. "Um, brother, how long has there been moss in your ears? Kits can't fight. We have to wait until our sixth moon, then we're named apprentices, and after some training we can fight."

Pinekit shrugged. "The battle might not happen for two moons. Then we can still fight. Or maybe we'll have troubles with ThunderClan by then..." He trailed off, gazing hopefully at a point over Needlekit's shoulder.

"Oh, give me a break, Pinekit," Needlekit mewed, rolling his eyes. "Why are you so eager to claw someone's eye out anyway? Truthfully, it's not all that appealing. I'm not a fan of blood myself."

_He'd rather hide in the nursery instead of fight for his Clan and risk seeing a couple droplets of blood. _Now it was Pinekit's turn for his eyes to roll skyward. "I'd classify you as a medicine cat, but you hate blood. So what _can _you do for the Clan? Just go straight to being an elder?"

Needlekit bared his teeth playfully. "I never said I _hated _blood, I just said I wasn't a _fan _of it. And I'm not a medicine cat either; I couldn't be one even if I wanted to, Volepaw is already Mistcloud's apprentice. I may not like fighting, but I do like hunting. And there's blood involved with that, too, so I can handle the stuff."

Pinekit had stopped listening around "I never said", and instead considered what it would be like to real-bite someone, rather than play-bite. To have unsheathed claws that could scrape anything in their way. There was one thing he knew for sure: he'd only kill his opponent if he or she deserved it.

Only if they deserved it.

**o3o**

About a quarter-moon later, it was a drowsy morning. Pinekit had woken ages ago, but still lay in the nest, his eyelids stuck half-open by crust and his tongue lolling lazily out of his mouth as if he was a panting dog.

For a while now, he had been watching Needlekit- who always roused earlier than Pinekit no matter what- playing with Auburnnose's kits. Now just over a moon old, they were filling out nicely, and all of them leaned toward their mother or their father in body build and personality. Well, except Coldkit. The small fellow was bulkier than both of his parents, and already had more muscle in his limbs than all of his siblings combined. And his personality was just plain oddball-ish: he wasn't sweet and mild like Auburnnose, or gruff yet kind like Hivefur. Instead, he seemed fiercely and endlessly loyal. If anything was out of place, the black-and-brown tom would be sure to correct it. And he had already memorized the entire warrior code. Meanwhile, Pinekit was lucky if he remembered two of the strict Clan rules. _Something about rejecting the soft life of a-_

"Is he _dead_?"

"Nah, he just refuses to move his lazy tush," Needlekit replied to the anxious squeak.

Angered by his brother's answer to the kit, Pinekit shot straight up and painfully blinked the crust out of his eyes. "Hey, now," he gazed down at the kit- Ravenkit- and smirked playfully. _I could get used to being older than someone. _"Where did you learn that word 'dead'? Coldkit?" He flicked his tail at Coldkit, who was already marching to the exit of the den, looking awfully bored.

Ravenkit giggled. "No, I learned it from you!" Her huge indigo blue eyes stared up at him as if she were infatuated with the black tom. "The other day, you got some fresh-kill from the pile, and you thought it had moved a little, so you screeched and said, 'Is this even dead?'"

Pinekit was puzzled. _I don't remember saying that. Unless... _"Oh, I think you have me and my brother mixed up," he said in that sweet tone one uses with young ones. "You must think I'm Needlekit."

Her eyes clouded with confusion. "You're not... ?" She whirled around and immediately lost interest in Pinekit as she bounced over to the real Needlekit. "So _you're _Needlekit!" she squealed.

"That indeed is me," Needlekit purred, dipping his head. "How may I help you, Raven-"

"Ravenstar. Call me Ravenstar!" Ravenkit demanded, her pale tail quivering with excitement as Needlekit allowed her to climb up onto his back.

"Very well, how may I help you, Raven_star_?" Needlekit conceded.

"Take me to Auburn Island!" Ravenkit ordered before whispering in Needlekit's ear, "That's Mother's nest."

Hailkit and Featherkit hopped up and down at Needlekit's stomping paws, begging to be let up with their sister, and Pinekit chuckled at the scene. He'd originally thought the new additions would be extremely annoying, and while their voices were particularly squeaky like mice's, their adorable and furry little paws were just irresistible.

**o3o**

The last thing Pinekit recalled before everything changed was noticing who the night guard was. "Fleetwhisker," he mumbled, recognizing the back of the brown tom as well as his one torn ear, outlined against a ray of moonlight that was invading the dark pine forest.

He was reminded of this again as he stumbled into the nursery, exhausted after the long day (despite his sleeping in that morning), and heard Scarkit proudly announcing to Hailkit that his father Fleetwhisker was the night guard.

"What does that mean?" Hailkit meowed.

"It means," Scarkit said, drawing out his answer to make it seem more dramatic, "he'll be the one who alerts the Clan at the first sign of danger!"

Hailkit tipped his head to the side. "What if he hears something and alerts the Clan, but it's really just prey moving in the forest?"

Scarkit wrinkled his gray nose distastefully. "You must be joking! My father would never be that foolish. Maybe Crowflight would do that, but not brave, honorable Fleetwhisker!"

Hailkit nodded and stepped into the nest he shared with his family, and from the look on his face it was clear he didn't entirely believe Scarkit's words.

Pinekit didn't know if he could believe them either.

**o3o**

It was the dead of night, and the nursery was deathly hot. Pinekit had fallen into a fitful sleep after readjusting himself so that he was in a separate nest from Ebonypelt, her kits, and Needlekit. Late greenleaf air had not treated the moss well- it was dry and crunchy- and Pinekit had been horribly uncomfortable until he had basically draped himself over the bedding as if he was a scrap of something left out to dry.

He was jerked to consciousness by the strange sensation of falling... until he realized that he had actually tumbled out of his crispy nest. Heartbeats later, there was a significantly loud _thump _from out in the clearing.

For the first time since he was a tiny kit, Pinekit felt a stab of fear that made his belly flutter about inside him. Holding his breath, he crawled back on top of the moss and then exhaled silently. In spite of the heat, he curled up and listened with erect ears for any more sounds.

And more sounds came: the single thump turned into a light, delicate pounding that reminded Pinekit of a patrol returning to the camp. _Like several cats, paws pounding on the earth._

Pinekit imagined the pounding as actual sets of paws. One set of paws in particular seemed to be growing closer to the nursery. Alarm now coursed through Pinekit's veins alongside the blood. The black kit leaped out of his parched moss "nest" and took a running leap, landing in between Ebonypelt and Needlekit. Both dark-furred cats roused immediately.

"What in the name of..." groaned Needlekit, rubbing his head where Pinekit's paw had smacked down on it moments ago.

"Yes, what's the matter..." Ebonypelt yawned, glancing at Pinekit. It sounded like she'd been about to say his name, but then when she saw Needlekit was awake too, she didn't even bother trying to tell the two apart.

"There are noises out in the clearing," Pinekit hissed urgently. "I know I sound ridiculous, but I actually hear things that aren't just squirrels rustling around. Like, a pounding, a-"

"Stubborn territory hoarders!" Into the den burst a wild-looking golden tom. His pelt was thick and oily, and his breath smelled terribly... fishy. Pinekit stiffened, locking gazes with the tom for a few heartbeats. _RiverClan! _

Ebonypelt leaped to her paws, ignoring Ivykit's indignant squeal as she fell off her mother's flank and into the folds of the nest. "You and your fish-bone-chewers have no business being here, Horseblaze."

Auburnnose was up now too, her body providing a shield in front of her kits. "Fish-brained territory stealers!" she shot back to Horseblaze's previous insult before adding, her amber eyes glowing chillingly in the darkness, "Leave."

Horseblaze stood frozen, hackles raised and claws unsheathed. Pinekit now knew that this was the real deal. Real fighting was going to happen, and he blinked timidly up at Ebonypelt. _She'll fight to the death to protect us if she has to. _He bit his lip. _So this is what it's like to be in a Clan..._

_Hunt to feed your Clanmates. Work together to fend off the enemy... even if it results in disaster._

* * *

**Expect a battle chapter next! **


	9. Moon 4 - Needle

**Thank you for clicking on this little ol' story of mine! I hope you like this chapter...**

**DUN DUN DUN...**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Eight - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e - Moon 4_

Horseblaze's yodeling pounded in Needlekit's ears, just like his head still pounded from where Pinekit had leaped on him.

"Hey! I need backup in here! Feisty queens!" The golden tom's call was met by three additional RiverClan cats, fangs bared as they exploded into the den. In the haze that had settled over Needlekit's vision, he glimpsed a light brown tom with malignant amber eyes; a thick-furred gray tabby; and a black-and-white she-cat, probably no more than ten moons old, with long, knotted fur.

"Dustclaw!" Swiftly, Horseblaze dipped his head. Needlekit assumed Dustclaw was in a position of power, probably deputy. His gaze swung toward the gray tom. "Jumpleg..." Finally his eyes settled on the apprentice. "Wingpaw!" he snapped. "I told you to stay-"

"And Dustclaw told me and Jumpleg to follow him in here," the mottled she-cat told him evenly. "It's your choice if you want to challenge Graystar's deputy. I won't intervene." She ducked her head and backed away so that her sweeping, plumy tail was whisker-lengths from Needlekit's nose.

Horseblaze's ears swiveled furiously as his flexing claws dug angrily into the earth. Needlekit burrowed deeper into the pelt of whoever was trembling beside him. The black kit glanced over; Owlkit. Beyond Owlkit, Scarkit and Ivykit were clutching each other for dear life. _Wait... there's someone missing from this picture. _

Needlekit raked his desperate pale yellow gaze over the dimly-lit den until he found himself looking up Ebonypelt's tensed leg. The black queen, her pelt bushed, was standing defensively over her kits. Or so she thought... there was someone on top of her back.

"Pinekit!" Needlekit moaned, fear making him dizzy for a few heartbeats before he bounced back. "Please, dear StarClan! Get down from there."

His brother glanced down at him. A moment later, Horseblaze and Dustclaw made their move on Ebonypelt as Jumpleg and Wingpaw lunged for Auburnnose.

As the oily brown toms collided with the dark-furred she-cat, Pinekit held on tight, his small claws clinging to Ebonypelt's wispy fur.

"Just jump down," Needlekit ordered, reaching a feeble paw toward him. As Ebonypelt kicked Horseblaze off of her and the golden-brown warrior landed across the den with an _oof_, Dustclaw stepped in, his boulder-sized paw nearly crushing Scarkit, Owlkit, and Ivykit. "Get in that corner," Needlekit hissed to them, and hastily they obeyed, stumbling away from the shredded moss and into a shadowed corner where the RiverClan cats would have to really look to see them.

Pinekit was still attached to Ebonypelt's pelt, and Needlekit let out a low caterwaul of frustration. Immediately the latter black tom realized this was a dire mistake, as Horseblaze, who had recovered from his flight, looked down at him.

Needlekit was far more spiritual than his brother, and immediately began to pray to StarClan, not really caring whether the spirit cats existed or not. "Please, StarClan, grant me the power to fight off this horrible bloody tom should he decide to try to kill me..."

"Aw, is the little kitty frightened?" Horseblaze teased, sitting down hard on the earth so that moss pieces scattered about. He shoved his stinking muzzle in Needlekit's face, licking his chops as if Needlekit were a delicious, juicy... maybe appetizing... fish.

One of the chunks of moss had landed on Needlekit's nose, and in one swift motion he puffed out his chest, wiped the moss off his face, and aimed a blow toward Horseblaze's eye. "Nope. I'm not scared, just ready to fight," he retorted, grinning a bit as Horseblaze fell back, dabbing his eye as blood welled on the eyelid.

Beyond the golden-brown warrior, Ebonypelt and Dustclaw continued to battle viciously, claw ripping away fur and tooth tearing flesh. Pinekit had finally made a flying leap off of his adoptive mother, and Needlekit looked just in time to see his brother's dark tail melt into the shadowy corner. Pale yellow met pale yellow as their gazes locked.

Horseblaze gathered himself, and scampered back up to the kit. He said something else tauntingly, but Needlekit failed to hear him over the screeches from outside the den. Very quickly, Needlekit checked how Auburnnose and her kits were faring against Jumpleg and Wingpaw; and it wasn't looking good. The young queen's white fur was damp and stained a gruesome scarlet, and Needlekit could only guess who's blood was on her pelt. Meanwhile, her four kits had also taken shelter in a shadowed corner, though it was clear they were having troubled fitting: every now and then, Hailkit's white paw or Featherkit's twitching ear would spill out of the safe darkness.

_Surely some cat on our side has thought about the nursery? _Needlekit fought as he began to pummel Horseblaze's fishy face. His claws were tiny, but sharp, and his teeth were even more effective. Horseblaze was a well-built and burly tom, but that also meant he was slower, and Needlekit successfully bit his nose before the golden RiverClan tom could flinch away from the kit's stinging swipes.

"Defeated by a kit, I see, Horseblaze." Horseblaze swung his head around, and as he did so droplets of blood flecked Needlekit's pelt. _But I don't really care. _

StarClan had heard his plea; ShadowClan warriors Flickclaw, Fleetwhisker, and Hivefur had arrived. Flickclaw pulled Horseblaze away from Needlekit and sent his opponent out of the den whimpering and with a severely bleeding ear-tip. Flickclaw whirled back toward Needlekit and dipped his head. Gratefully, the black tom breathed, "You've saved my life... I don't know how much longer I could hold him off."

"You've served your Clan plenty. Thank _you_," Flickclaw replied, jerking his head toward the corner where Pinekit and the others were. "Now rest and wait it out."

Needlekit made a running leap into the corner, and ended up squishing Ivykit and nearly suffocating her to death. He hopped off the tortoiseshell and mumbled, "Forgive me." She just sniffed and turned away from him.

Pinekit was at the border between shadow and light, his gaze fixed on the activity outside of their corner. He didn't even seem to have noticed Needlekit came.

Needlekit coughed in his brother's ear, and Pinekit ruffled his fur. "Bad ear," he meowed.

Rolling his eyes, Needlekit moved over to his littermate's other side and coughed again. Pinekit spun in place and glared at him, "Hey, that's my good ear!" he protested. "Don't get your sick germs in it."

Needlekit ignored this and nudged him. "You were _such _the little coward," he snorted. "You ran and hid here while I actually held off a RiverClan warrior for a while!"

"Yeah, your blows were so badly-aimed, I was deliberately ignoring you," Pinekit shot back, and Needlekit caught the hint of jealousy in his tone.

"Aw, come on, don't take it down on yourself. We're kits; like I said, we're not supposed to, or allowed to, fight yet. You did the smart thing to save your life, while I was trapped and had no choice but to defend myself."

Pinekit furrowed his brow, and then looked sadly to his sibling. "We were both thinking for ourselves."

"Again, we're kits. We're young. It's battle. What else can you do, sometimes?"

Needlekit's words seemed to be lost to Pinekit, however. The black tom was making a low, guttural noise in his throat, and Needlekit was horrified.

Though not as horrified as when he saw what he saw next.

Dustclaw, his pale earth-colored coat mottled with blood, was holding one slimy paw on Ebonypelt's throat. Her throat was already sliced open, and as scarlet liquid gushed out and darkened her the pale fur around her neck, she gurgled helplessly.

Fleetwhisker and Hivefur had finally driven off Jumpleg and Wingpaw away from Auburnnose and her kits, and Fleetwhisker turned in time to see the light fade from his mate's eyes.

Needlekit had never, in his short life, seen heartbreak this intense. He doubted he would ever see a reaction like Fleetwhisker's again.

It was like the brown tom had lost all feeling in his legs; they just crumpled under him, and his head fell limply so that it rested on his shoulder, as if his neck had been broken. But Fleetwhisker was definitely still breathing: his chest heaved, and his paws churned the moist, crumbly earth under him into a lumpy pulp. His copper-colored eyes looked lost and faded. And maybe they'd never have their full amber color again.

Every cat in the den jumped as he threw back his head, released a blood-chilling howl, and draped himself over Dustclaw, who had finally taken his talons off of Ebonypelt's throat so he could step back and admire his work. Now the RiverClan deputy was engulfed by a storm, a storm of a cat driven wild by grief. Hivefur, Flickclaw, and Auburnnose stood stricken, but also a knowing look shined in their eyes. This told Needlekit that there was nothing any cat could do to stop Fleetwhisker. It was his future, not theirs.

A final cry and a fierce swipe opened up an old, crusted-over gash in the fish-eating tom's throat, and that was it for Dustclaw. At first his convulsing body fell down next to Ebonypelt's frozen one, but Fleetwhisker wasn't satisfied yet. He kicked Dustclaw to the side before falling onto his own flank, sobbing and moaning.

_All this for a bit of territory. _

* * *

**Kind of lazy writing, so I apologize. But at least I updated on time!**


	10. Moon 5 - Pine

**I'm sorry for the long wait! I'm writing the last part of this on my crappy laptop, since we're in the process of replacing our main computer to a newer version. **

**I hope you like this chapter of Tall Pines :)**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Nine - _**P**_i_ne _\- Moon 5_

"It's only when someone is taken from you that you realize how much you took them for granted."

Pinekit slowly lifted his head from his vole, and winced. His neck felt sore and heavy, like a boulder was resting on it. The young tom licked the blood from his lips and mumbled, "What? That was a mouthful."

Needlekit glared at him. "Sorry, was I talking in your 'bad' ear?" He lashed his tail and took a deep breath, calming himself. "I just said that now Ebonypelt's gone, I see how much she did for us."

Pinekit froze, and gulped down a morsel of meat that had suddenly turned tasteless in his jaws. _Does he have to talk about her _now_? The Clan's finally had a break from its grief and suffering for nearly a half-moon, and _now _he brings her up again. _Words stalled on his tongue, and, unable to speak at the moment, Pinekit simply made a low noise in his throat.

His brother arched his brow at him. "Well, growling at me isn't very nice. I'm not a badger you have to defend the Clan from..."

"A- actually," Pinekit snapped, rising to his paws and kicking away the picked-over fresh-kill, "I _am _defending the Clan from you. By mentioning her name again, you're only bringing ShadowClan back into a world of depression and angst!"

His anger flared even more when Needlekit smiled. "So you do miss her," he murmured, blinking fondly at Pinekit.

"Well, of course I do." Pinekit's voice quieted and he sat back down again, his tail drooping limply on the earth. "How could I not? She was like our mother."

Needlekit didn't reply. His affectionate gaze softened even further, if that was possible, into one of deep, unfiltered sadness. Pinekit doubted he'd ever seen this expression on his littermate's face. Yes, Needlekit was often the one who expressed how he felt more quietly, with just his eyes. But this was something totally brand-new. This time, Pinekit _felt _exactly what his brother felt. _We're alike more than just in our appearance..._

**o3o**

Pinekit cracked open one eyelid, and found the silhouette of a cat standing in front of him. Heart pounding, the black tom opened his other eye, and shrunk back into the moss of his nest.

The cat arched his back and a chilling, almost strangled hiss emerged from the bottom of his lungs. Mud-streaked golden fur flashed before Pinekit's wide eyes, and in heartbeats the cat was face-to-face with the kit. Cracked, yellowing teeth snapped at Pinekit's nose, and again the former rogue tried to lurch farther away from the hostile face, but he could only flatten himself against the nursery wall. Chuckling pounded in Pinekit's ears like a heartbeat, and in the next instant, his muzzle was bathed in rancid-fish-scented breath.

A paw swiped, and Pinekit registered a sting on his cheek. He dabbed his paw where he'd been clipped, and when he pulled his foot back to inspect the damage done, he found it was covered in blood. The sharp, distinct salty tang hit him right then, as if his dream-opponent had hit him with another blow. And maybe he had, for right then Pinekit felt stickiness under him. His mossy nest and the other occupants of the nursery were gone, replaced with a pool of blood, lapping hungrily at Pinekit's paws. And all he could do was press against the stupid wall, trapped.

**o3o**

Pinekit roused with his chest heaving. "Blood everywhere," he whispered, forcing his trembling forelegs to push him into a sitting position. He was about to exit the nest when he was startled with another surprise: Scarkit and Owlkit, in their slumber, were clinging onto him like dogs trying to hold onto a tree trunk: desperate, fearful. Pinned down by Scarkit's smaller body draped over his haunch, Pinekit twisted around to see if Needlekit was in the same predicament. And, sure enough, his brother was also stuck under Ivykit, though both were sleeping and he was unaware.

"What in the name of StarClan..." Pinekit grumbled. He shrugged Owlkit off his shoulder and was just starting to nudge Scarkit off of his leg when a soft voice halted his efforts.

He glanced past the snoozing Evesky, who had moved in awaiting the arrival of her and Lintpelt's kits, to Auburnnose. The thin white queen was curled in her nest with her kits, excluding Coldkit, who had insisted on a nest for himself already. "Don't push them away," she mewed.

"I just want to have feeling in my leg again, thanks," Pinekit growled softly as he again tried to remove Scarkit from his leg. He sighed as the numb fizzing began crawling up his haunch.

"You know as well as I do that they have no one else to go to," Auburnnose continued quietly. An edge was now distinct in her tone. "With... Ebonypelt walking in Silverpelt and Fleetwhisker constantly in some stage of grief, you and Needlekit are their only remaining family members."

Pinekit stiffened and stopped prodding Scarkit. "What? So you mean Fleetwhisker is just... _ignoring _his kits?"

But Auburnnose didn't answer. She had already curled her skinny body back around Ravenkit, Featherkit, and Hailkit, her back to him.

Pinekit frowned, perplexed. He looked down and studied Scarkit and Owlkit for a moment. Their faces were slack in slumber, but even so Pinekit thought he saw a trace of desperation there. _They miss her warmth. _The black kit swallowed his uncertainty and let his body fall back into the nest, his body entwined with his brothers'.

**o3o**

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Pinekit opened his eyes. A dark cat was outlined against the fading moonlight filtering into the den. For a moment, the young cat was frightened. _It's the cat from my dream earlier! _But then his eyes adjusted, and he recognized the bristling brown pelt of Fleetwhisker.

The tom was standing rigidly over him, his tail straight out behind him and fluffed up. With the dying night still masking part of his face, Pinekit couldn't help but remark, "You look like a pathetic raccoon."

"Get off of my sons," Fleetwhisker snapped.

"Okay, okay, chill," Pinekit mumbled, sliding his shoulder out from under Owlkit and removing his tail from Scarkit's rising and falling chest. "Raccoonface," he added in a whisper, though luckily the lithe brown warrior didn't appear to have heard him.

Grunting, Fleetwhisker nosed Owlkit and Scarkit awake, then proceeded to pick up the former. The tiny spotted tom squeaked in protest- "I'm five moons old, Fleetwhisker!"- while Scarkit snickered and followed them. Pinekit stared at the mottled kit until his tail had whipped around the corner. _It's like they don't even remember clinging on to me..._

He was startled by Needlekit's incomprehensible mew, and twisted to see his brother looking ruffled and disgruntled a tail-length away. Ivykit was nowhere to be seen; probably already carried outside by her father.

"You were run over by the Fleet-monster too?" Pinekit asked, even though the answer was obvious.

Needlekit just sighed and nodded. "I don't know what his problem is. He doesn't give a mouse-tail about his kits for nearly a moon, and now he's shoving us aside in favor of his blood offspring."

Pinekit rolled his eyes. "Captain Obvious."

"Well, sometimes it's good to be obvious," Needlekit said, making his way over and flicking his brother over the ear with his tail. "Because often you don't see the situation exactly as it is."

_I do this time, _Pinekit thought grimly. But he didn't tell his sibling.

**o3o**

"Hey, I've got an idea to get our minds off Raccoonface."

"I don't even understand that nickname. He doesn't have a single black hair on his pelt," Needlekit objected.

Pinekit shoved him. "It's a long story. But don't you want to hear my idea?"

It was around sunhigh, and the pair was sunbathing after an interminable game of moss-ball that'd finally been settled by Pinekit kicking the ball into a clump of poison ivy.

"I suppose I have no choice. Shoot."

"Let's play a game where we pretend to be each other," Pinekit chirped excitedly. "Like, I act like you, and you act like me."

Needlekit's gaze drifted lazily across the clearing, and Pinekit, with a prick of irritation, wondered if he was even fully listening. "And the goal of this is?"

Pinekit embedded his claws in the needle-strewn earth. "To get our minds off you-know-who, like I said. 'Cause if we just keep thinking about Sir Grouchy, we'll be unhappy."

"And unhappy is... 'ungood'," Needlekit meowed, reciting Pinekit's current life motto. "Fine. Let's do it. I call the elders-"

"No way," Pinekit interrupted. "I would never hang around the elders, they'd know it's you. Go try chatting up some younger warriors, and I'll face the elders."

Needlekit inclined his head, then straightened and bounded across the clearing- _just what I do. _Pinekit winced as he watched the other black tom. _Though I hope I don't look as graceful as a goose, like he does._

Making his paws heavy, Pinekit practically dragged himself across the clearing. He passed Graypaw, who was sitting with Blizzardpaw. The gray she-cat dipped her head and questioned, "How's it going, Needlekit?"

A triumphant spark burned in his chest, and a chuckle started to creep up his throat, but he held it back and answered neutrally, "Fine, Graypaw. Thank you for asking."

He continued on, passing several cats who barely spared him a glance. Finally Pinekit reached the elders' den, a place he had never visited before. _This has always been Needlekit's haven, not mine. _With a deep breath, he strolled it as nonchalantly as he could muster.

A patchy cream-and-gray tom in the corner of the den lifted his head and flashed a stained yellow smile. "Needlekit! Come closer, son. It's so dark in here, I can only see those bright eyes of yours."

Pinekit chewed on his lip and shuffled forward a mouse-length toward the old tom- _Ferretclaw, I think he is_. _Why is he calling me son? I'm not-_

"Is that Needlekit? Ah, Needlekit, ol' buddy! What wisdom do you have to share with us today?" Redpatch's dappled, scarred face loomed out from the shadows.

Pinekit shakily sat down between their nests and gulped as he curled his tail over his paws, like Needlekit often did. "Well," he began, "You wouldn't believe what my uncontrollable brother, Pinekit, did today..."

* * *

**I thought they finally needed to do that classic twin-switcheroo thing.**


	11. Moon 5 - Needle

**Sup, everyone? How have your lives been so far this summer? I hope no one's had as much summer work as me! (Nah, I'm not in summer school... I'm just preparing myself for advanced classes. How fun.)**

**So I know this story has been kinda slow so far; really the only major plot points I've accomplished are Ebonypelt's death, Coldkit's birth, and I guess the start of the 'Fleet Storm' (a.k.a. Fleetwhisker gets grumpy towards Pine and Needle.) And through all this, our favorite bros (besides Mario and Luigi, of course) are _still _kits. But, obviously, if we're on moon five, it won't be much longer until they get apprenticed. And I promise things will start to pick up then, with their first real glimpse of the lake, interactions with other Clans, and just being outside of camp, finally.**

**Just one. More. Chapter!**

**-Mossy**

**P.S. Thank you for all of the support! You have no idea how much I appreciate all the love. :'D**

* * *

_Chapter Ten - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e - Moon 5_

Needlekit was so uncomfortable, he could feel his insides squirming like he'd swallowed a number of snakes. His heart tickled his throat, and his ears had been pinned back so long, he worried whether they would ever stand straight again.

Sitting in a semicircle before him were three she-cats, and all of their six eyes were trained on him. _Please, please, just look away for one moment... _

"Well? You were saying?"

Needlekit gulped quietly and dragged his wide gaze to the left to look at Lightningstrike. The nearly-black she-cat was fidgeting just as much as he was, though it was out of excitement and anticipation rather than overcharged nerves.

Blizzardpaw leaned forward, her whiskers twitching just as frequently as a rabbit's nose did. "Please continue your story, Pinekit. I have to know what happens."

Crowflight looked starstruck. "I can't believe your father was that brave."

Lightningstrike nodded eagerly in agreement. "Maybe you'll take after him... y'know, like, do something brave and heroic like that."

Hearing Blizzardpaw say his brother's name seemed to snap Needlekit out of his anxious daze. He curled his scared-straight backbone a little so he was slouching like Pinekit often did. Then he murmured, "Well, I hope I won't be like my father exactly-"

Before he could keep going, Blizzardpaw interrupted, "Why?"

The two warriors glared at her, wordlessly shushing the apprentice from saying any more.

"Because he died saving my mother from that badger," Needlekit explained, puffing out his chest somewhat cockily as he went on, "And I don't want to die, now do I?"

"B- but where were you when all of this was happening?" Crowflight demanded, her ragged pelt on end.

_Okay, then. Ask about Pinekit, but who cares what his brother was doing at the time? _"I wasn't born yet," Needlekit informed his captivated audience. "But I finally entered the world a few days later. I was born before my brother, and the moment I took my first breath, it was clear I was my father exactly."

"Said who?" growled Lightningstrike suspiciously.

"Said my mother," Needlekit shot back. He was surprised by his smooth reply to her comment. _Who knew I had it in me? _"Before she too died."

Blizzardpaw's claws flexed. Needlekit doubted he would ever get a trio of she-cats this excited again in his life. "How do you know what happened to her? Didn't she leave you and your brother under the Twin Pines?"

"Yes. But, you see, I had a telepathic-like connection with my dear mother," Needlekit proclaimed. _I could act like Pinekit more often! This is spot on, everyone totally believes I'm him! _"When I was just a tiny kit, in my first days with ShadowClan, I felt a sharp pain pierce my heart. And that's when I knew that she was no longer with us." He deflated his chest a little and bowed his head, in some kind of gesture of grief. _StarClan knows if she's still alive. But if she isn't, this is, at least, some strange tribute to her. _

"Woah," breathed Crowflight. "I've never heard of something like that before. A telepathic connection..." She trailed off, her spring-green eyes wild with wonder.

_I might as well put a good word in for me too. _"My brother Needlekit also had-"

But just then, the real Pinekit jammed his head in between Crowflight and Needlekit's muzzles, which had somehow suddenly got close. In a way, Needlekit was relieved, though he was also a bit disappointed; he wouldn't have minded a lick on the nose for his Pinekit-like "heroism".

"Alright, charmer," Pinekit grumbled. "Let's get going."

Blizzardpaw pricked her ears. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, just for a swim in the lake," Pinekit said breezily, his tone saturated in sarcasm. He proceeded to add under his breath, "To our dark, scary corner."

As Needlekit was steered away from the trio, as if he couldn't walk himself, he heard Blizzardpaw mutter to her companions, "See, this is why I like Pinekit better. _He _has a sense of humor and isn't so dark all the time."

Needlekit flattened his ears. _Dark. Isn't that what ShadowClan is all about? Dark pine forest, dark personalities, dark humor... _

"Way to make me seem like a fox-heart," he mewed aloud to his littermate. "I suppose we won't be doing this switch thing again."

Pinekit finally stopped at their usual hangout place, comfortably near the fresh-kill pile as always. "Hey, I had to be realistic. A smiling Needlekit would've put those drooling she-cats into a world of confusion."

"I can smile," Needlekit insisted.

His brother arched his brow and stared at him expectantly. "Well? Do it. Smile."

"Now?" Needlekit shook his head incredulously. "I can't smile right this moment. I'm too upset."

"Too sour-tempered, you mean," Pinekit mumbled, again under his breath. Needlekit flexed his claws, fur prickling. _Any more muttering under your breath, and I swear I'll..._

But he didn't say this aloud. Instead he merely growled, "Let's just switch back now, alright? From now on, I am me, and you are you."

"Who am I?" Pinekit asked. "Pinekit, right?"

His sibling just sighed and turned away toward the nursery.

"What?" the black kit called after his identical. "We do look alike. It's easy to get mixed up!"

**o3o**

That evening, the sun seemed to bleed all over the sky as it set. The red light was so bright, even cats confined to camp, like Pinekit and Needlekit, could see nature's light show through the thick canopy of evergreens. Many cats traveled outside of camp to view the sky away from the trees, and Needlekit dearly wished he could join them.

"It's like there's a bleeding warrior up there," Pinekit observed, his daffodil-yellow eyes scanning the ragged patches of sky overhead.

"I doubt it's _ever _been this bright in this cursed camp," Needlekit agreed. The young tom had grown fairly sick of the dullness that so often hung over ShadowClan's hollow. It felt even more like a trap than usual. _Being under six moons old is about as unlucky as you can get._

"Yeah, the darkness is kind of getting old," his brother replied. "I mean, sometimes I look down and can't even see my own paws because we blend in."

Needlekit lifted a shoulder. "It surely can't be healthy to be hidden from sunlight for most of your life."

A light breeze suddenly blew by them, an indication of a cat trotting by at the pace of a racehorse. Hummingbird, carrying with her the sweet scent of the nectar her namesake loved so much, mewed tartly to them as she went by. "Darkness is ShadowClan's way of life. If you don't like it, then join WindClan."

_WindClan? Blech! _Maybe Needlekit missed the sun, but joining WindClan would be overdoing it. Those cats constantly lived under the sun's rays. He was surprised nobody in that group was burned to a crisp yet. _And imagine the moors in leaf-bare! They must have to thaw out a few cat-icicles every newleaf._

The scarlet eased into the navy-black of night. Warriors of StarClan twinkled in the sky, their burning light faint through the pines.

Pinekit and Needlekit retired to the nursery, their adventures of the day now taking its toll on their weary muscles. When they entered, they found Evesky curled up and snoring, fat and lazy as a kittypet. Auburnnose was there with her kits as well. Although her eyes were squeezed shut, it was clear that she was far from asleep; her rowdy bunch were still squirming around, playing some kind of silly game limited to the nest. Meanwhile, Coldkit was stretched out on his back in his own nest, his chilly amber gaze settled on the muddy roof of the den.

There were two remaining nests, one of which was occupied by Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit. The other clump of moss hardly held the right to be called a nest; it was merely a scrap of bedding yanked off of someone else's nest. Even Coldkit's nest was more grand than that.

Hesitantly, the brothers padded up to where their adoptive siblings were snoozing. Pinekit didn't even have to open his jaws to speak for Ivykit to open one eye. The small tortoiseshell frowned and prodded her brothers to consciousness.

"Is there room in this nest for us?" Pinekit murmured out of respect for the sleeping Evesky. "I'm not sure who's nest that is," he said, flicking his tail at the pathetic hunk of bedding, "... and-"

"U- um, that _is _your nest," Scarkit grunted quietly, clearly disgruntled and not pleased about being woken.

Needlekit stepped forward. "And me?"

Owlkit blinked, his face wiped clean of emotion. "You two are sharing that one."

_No way. _Needlekit embedded his claws in the earth and turned his head to narrow his eyes in disbelief at Pinekit. _This can't be. _

Pinekit didn't reply to them. Rather, he whirled around and marched over to their apparent new nest. The young black cat spread out the curled-up moss bundle and flattened it in a futile attempt to make room for the two of them.

Needlekit followed his brother's fuming trail and spat, "How in StarClan's name is this 'nest' supposed to fit two five-moon-old kits?"

"Why are you asking me?" Pinekit demanded, tossing in a flustered shrug as he pressed down on the moss. "When you _should be _asking Fleetwhisker."

Needlekit froze, realization hitting him like a monster on the Thunderpath. _It's as obvious as night and day! Fleetwhisker organized this. He wants _his _blood offspring to have the comfortable nest, while Pinekit and I get... _

"This stuff is hopeless," Pinekit announced, getting up from where he had been sitting on the moss in one last attempt to expand it. They both watched as their bedding retracted back into a ball. "The only thing this is useful for is a halfhearted game of moss-ball."

"It'll be dawn soon," Needlekit said. "I'm not in the mood nor do I have the energy to play games, and I'm positive you don't either."

Again, Pinekit's shoulders fluttered up and down. "Maybe offer the moss to Ravenkit, Featherkit, and Hailkit. They look like they have enough energy to keep them going for a couple days without sleep."

In the end, the two toms decided to lay down close together and at least cushion their heads on the moss. Unfortunately, Needlekit got the short end of the stick. When he roused in the middle of the night, unable to stay in his fitful sleep any longer, he found his head sore from being on the cold, hard earth. He tried to pull some moss over to him, but ended up making Pinekit roll off of their crumbling cushion as well.

"I give up," Needlekit told the other unhappy camper. Pinekit nodded curtly, still blinking away his own dreamless doze. Together, they carried the moss outside and over to the dirtplace, where they threw it in and then scampered away, snorting in laughter.

"That's where that lame excuse for a bed belongs," Pinekit mewed, rolling his eyes.

Their infection of laughter was cured as they gradually came to full awareness. Dawn light was leaking through the gaps in the branches and branches of evergreen needles, though it was still not nearly as bright as the sunset of the previous night.

"Now we have nowhere to sleep," Needlekit mused.

"Well," Pinekit countered. "You do realize that we won't be sleeping there tomorrow?"

_I wonder if there were bees in that moss, and they got into his brain. _"Well, yes, I suppose sleeping on a tree branch would be comfier than sleeping on the ground in there."

Pinekit shook his head. "Just one more night in the nursery. And then we turn six moons old."

A thrill of excitement and shock, like a lightning strike, made Needlekit's heart pound harder for a moment. "We'll be apprentices! But what does that mean to us anyway? Fleetwhisker will still bother us, and we'll be bossed around by mentors now. There's nothing else special about that."

"No," Pinekit purred. "Tomorrow is the day our lives _really _begin."

* * *

**Anyone else here _not _a fan of Fleetwhisker?  
**

**Everyone: *raises hand/paw***


	12. Moon 6 - Pine

**This is it, guys! The moment you've all been waiting for... the bros will become apprentices! Woo-hoo!**

**Ahem. Anyways... **

**All I ask of you is to enjoy the story, and to please vote on the poll on my profile if you haven't already. It concerns the fate of my one-shot, I Don't Quite Remember, and whether or not I should keep it as it is, make it a full story, or let somebody adopt it and, likely, make it a full story. The poll closes in three days, on August 1st, and I would like to gather as many opinions as possible. Thank you for reading!**

**So, here we go. Chapter eleven of Twin Pines :)**

**-Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Eleven - _**P**_i_ne _\- Moon 6_

Pinekit lashed his tail, annoyance as burning hot as Fleetwhisker's amber eyes bubbling up inside of him. "I can't believe this!" he practically shouted, turning away from Needlekit again and heaving a sigh. "We have to _share _our ceremony with apprentices who are way ahead of us and becoming warriors!"

"It's really not that big of a deal," Needlekit pointed out, his whiskers twitching. _If those wiry whiskers of his are twitching in _amusement_, I swear I'll- _

Just then, his thoughts were jerked to the back of his brain. Needlekit's twitching whiskers were the least of his problems, as he stared at Fleetwhisker after the brown tom had shoved him while walking by. "He's acting like a kit," Pinekit grunted, scowling at the nicked ears of his adoptive father until he only could see red.

"You're only insulting yourself," Needlekit replied airily, his tail swishing back and forth as he shunted his brother forward. "_You _are a kit."

"Not for much longer!" Pinekit took a deep breath and tried his best to push his worries and frustrations away. "Come on. We should probably, like, groom ourselves and stuff. Since we don't have a mother to do it for us."

"Good idea," Needlekit agreed. "Though I already washed and groomed myself a while ago. You, meanwhile, have a tuft of fur sticking up on your head." Smirking, the black tom reached out and rasped his tongue over Pinekit's ears.

Pinekit growled in embarrassment. "Aw, really, Needlekit? There's no need for _you_ to act as my mother..."

**o3o**

"Cats of ShadowClan," Tawnystar mewed, since she could apparently no longer raise her voice any louder than that, "I have a very special announcement for you. Today, we have several cats advancing in rank. And we all know what that means: this will only make our Clan stronger than it already has been. Now let's proceed... could our three oldest apprentices please step forward?"

Pinekit felt like he had swallowed a piece of crow-food, and the maggots were crawling through his insides. He chewed on his lip. _I'd rather swallow maggots than stand up in front of the entire Clan. _He wrinkled his nose. _Well... on second thought, maybe not. _

ShadowClan's three oldest apprentices, chins raised, shuffled forward as requested, albeit bashfully. First in line was Sparrowpaw, a charming-looking dark brown tabby with sleek fur that indicated a fresh grooming. He appeared even older than Indigopaw and Blizzardpaw behind him, though Pinekit suspected that none of the three were siblings.

"I, Tawnystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon StarClan to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn and understand the ways of your code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." The pale tortoiseshell hesitated, settling her milky gaze on Sparrowpaw first. "Young Sparrowpaw, I'm afraid your ceremony has been delayed by nearly a half-moon. I wanted to wait until we could combine all of your ceremonies together; I hope you do not mind?"

To Pinekit's surprise, Sparrowpaw kept his lips sealed shut, and merely dipped his head respectfully. The black kit furrowed his brow. _I would be a bit annoyed if I was him. His own personal ceremony was taken away and- _But he stopped his angry thoughts from going on any further.

"Sparrowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Tawnystar croaked.

_Well, that's a big commitment. Die for cats I barely know? Sure, Tawnystar, I'd be glad to!_

"I do," Sparrowpaw replied obediently. Pinekit wondered if there was anything else one _could _say at that point.

Tawnystar bowed her head, a purr rumbling off her tongue along with the following words: "Then by the powers of StarClan, I will grant you your warrior name. Sparrowpaw, from this moment you shall be known as Sparrowfoot. StarClan honors your bravery and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." It took a few solid heartbeats for her to clamber back down the meeting rock. Once she was back on the ground again, she met the newly-named Sparrowfoot and licked his shoulder while he rested his head on hers.

They parted, and Sparrowfoot moved off to the side to make way for Indigopaw and Blizzardpaw.

"Speckfall and Fleetwhisker have already confirmed that you two passed your final assessments with flying colors. Very well done," Tawnystar praised the pair. She smiled gently at them. "Despite both of you losing your only littermate at a depressingly young age, you've made it through every day of your young lives and worked together like siblings. There aren't words to describe how proud I am of you."

Indigopaw grinned and exchanged a solemn glance with Blizzardpaw. Pinekit suppressed a snort. _They're a couple of lovebirds if I've ever seen one._

"Do you both promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

They both agreed, just as swiftly and mechanically as Sparrowfoot had.

Tawnystar beamed, flashing off a stained yellow smile. "By the powers of StarClan, your names are now Indigowhisker and Blizzardtail! StarClan equally honors your determination and dedication to preserving our strength. We welcome you as full warriors of ShadowClan." One by one, she performed the shoulder-lick procedure with Indigowhisker and then Blizzardtail. "You will share your vigil with Sparrowfoot."

The Clan suddenly seemed restless, as if they were ready for the long string of ceremonies to be over already. Pinekit's fur prickled, though he wasn't sure if it was out of annoyance or agreement. He turned to Needlekit and uttered a dumb question or other he knew the answer to, something along the lines of "What's the point of a vigil?"

And then it was their turn. For a long moment, Pinekit felt as if the world had stopped spinning as he heard his name called, or really whispered, by Tawnystar. "Scarkit, Ivykit, Owlkit, Pinekit, and Needlekit, please come forward to me." Right in between Owlkit and Needlekit. Not first, but not last. Pinekit's heart pulsed against his chest, tickling it like fragile butterfly wings. _This is it. This is me. _

Like he had read his brother's mind, Needlekit squeezed Pinekit's shoulders with his tail and murmured, "This is us."

Pinekit felt his skin flush hot from all of the pairs of eyes he knew were on him. He could only pray that nobody could tell whether his ears and nose were flushed a rosy pink. They proceeded forward, carving a ragged path through the crowd, which had spilled back out onto the walkway in its restlessness.

Tawnystar stood tall and as proud as she could manage without breaking any of the twig-like bones in her body. "These kits have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for them to shed their kit names like a snake sheds its old skin, for they are no longer needed. ShadowClan, I give you Scarpaw, Ivypaw, Owlpaw, Pinepaw, and Needlepaw."

"Woah. Already, I've had three different names in just six moons of life..." Pinepaw breathed.

Scarpaw whirled around and applied the glare treatment to his adoptive brother, as well as a warning growl to hush him. Once the mottled black tom had turned around again, practically bowing down at Tawnystar's paws, Pinepaw rolled his eyes. _He just doesn't want anything at all to ruin this moment, I suppose. _

"I always find it an extreme difficulty to match an apprentice with the precisely perfect mentor," Tawnystar continued, her weak voice suddenly so sharp that everyone had to listen. "I have given this all a lot of thought, just as I should, because for the next six or so moons, this cat will not only be your trainer, but your companion. This will be the cat who shows you your first glimpse of our territory, of the lake, of other Clans."

Pinepaw's tail lashed back and forth anxiously. _Other Clans! Finally, I'll see ThunderClan, and all of their "fabled" wrongdoings! _

"So, without further ado, I will assign your mentors. Scarpaw, your mentor will be Chillgaze." A lean white tom with dark copper-colored eyes parted from the cluster of cats to touch his nose with Scarpaw's. Already the young black tom was muttering excitedly to the stone-silent Chillgaze as they moved off to the side.

"Ivypaw, you will be mentored by Russetshine. Russetshine, this is not your first apprentice, but every young cat I have entrusted to you in the past has turned out so skilled and mature. Therefore, it is an obvious choice to give you Ivypaw." The dark ginger senior warrior grinned and dipped her head to Ivypaw before their noses connected. As Pinepaw watched, he started to recall Graypaw and Amberpaw's apprentice ceremony a few moons earlier. _So basically touch your nose with your mentor's, and then get out of the way for the next cat. _

Owlpaw was given Comfreyleaf as a mentor, and it seemed that only mere heartbeats had passed between Pinepaw's naming and the naming of his mentor. Pinepaw inched closer to the leader and farther away from Needlepaw. _Okay, you can handle this. Just touch your nose to theirs. It's not that difficult at all. _

"Needlepaw, you come up, too," Tawnystar ordered. Pinepaw let out a quiet breath of relief as he felt his brother's pelt brush his own again. "Pinepaw, Needlepaw, you will be mentored by Archstripe and Hivefur, respectively."

Pinepaw stiffened. He could only barely scrape his gaze over Needlepaw's equally-startled face before Archstripe nudged him with a smirk and roughly tapped his nose against Pinepaw's.

_This can't be good. There's no way this can be good. _Pinepaw was more angry at than fearful of Archstripe, for it had been him and his sister Smolderfire who talked badly about Pinepaw and Needlepaw a few moons ago. Granted, they hadn't teased the two brothers in front of their faces; rather, Needlepaw had overheard and then told Pinepaw about it. But Pinepaw didn't doubt his littermate's honestly, and his claws flexed as he imagined what he would do if a single insult rolled off of Archstripe's tongue.

Lost in his troubled thoughts, Pinepaw hadn't even noticed the Clan start to disperse around him. He snapped back to attention when Archstripe grumbled in his ear, "Snap out of it, kit. We don't have time for your little zoning-out episodes."

_I won't let him treat me like this. I already have Fleetwhisker adding a weight to my shoulders... and I'm not about to let this fox-heart add anything as well. _Pinepaw curled his lip and said, muzzle-to-muzzle with Archstripe, "In case you didn't notice, Archstripe, I have a new name now, one that does not have 'kit' at the end. I am over six moons of age, and you have no right to call me 'kit'. Now, what is my first duty as your _apprentice_?"

Pinepaw had to admit that he was quite proud of himself for that snappy comeback. _I'll have to tell Needlepaw that one later! _He glanced back and forth, scanning the shady camp for a solid black pelt or pale yellow eyes that matched his own, but he couldn't find his brother. _Where did he go, anyway? One moment he was here, the next he wasn't- _

"Great StarClan, you're a piece of work!" Archstripe growled. He steered Pinepaw away from the center of the clearing, where they had been stared at because of their arguing. "I was just saying I misspoke when I called you 'kit', and there you go, zoning off again. We'll have to do something about that... maybe Mistcloud has some treatment for daydreaming."

"Yes, that definitely sounds like something that exists," Pinepaw replied, flattening his ears. "So what are we gonna do today, bicker or get out of this rut and actually _do _something?"

Archstripe raised his head, swiveling it away from Pinepaw as he puffed out his chest in a prideful stance. "Well, it seems to me that the best first apprentice task for a lil' sharp-tongued _rebel _like you is to clean out the elders' bedding."

"And replace it with fresh moss, right?" Pinepaw asked, hope making his tone gentler than previously. He itched desperately to get out of this dark clearing. _I want to at least see the territory on my first day as a 'paw! Even if I'm just retrieving moss and feathers, at least I'm getting a couple fox-lengths out of camp._

With an obnoxious sigh, Archstripe, to Pinepaw's great surprise, relented. "But don't expect to see the lake or anything when we leave camp. Our moss supply is not that far from here at all," he mewed as he led Pinepaw over to the den that housed Needlepaw's favorite storytellers, Redpatch and Ferretclaw. "Now go on inside, ask them to stand, say that you're going to replace their bedding, blah blah, and so on."

Pinepaw paused for a heartbeat before entering, and just for that he was pushed right into the dank den by his mentor. He blinked rapidly, adjusting to the gloom just as Redpatch poked his head out of the darkness. The black apprentice hadn't exactly missed this dusty dwelling, and had actually been avoiding it since his last visit, where he was acting as Needlepaw.

"Hello. Congratulations on being named an apprentice," Redpatch rasped, his azure-blue eyes glowing alongside Ferretclaw's green optics.

Pinepaw muttered a swift, meaningless "thank you" and went on to take the elders' musty moss off their paws. As he exited, heading reluctantly back to Archstripe, he could hear Ferretclaw say to his comrade, "That was Pinepaw, right?"

"I would think so," Redpatch whispered back. "Not nearly as affectionate as his brother, I have to say."

Trembling with fury, Pinepaw marched after Archstripe, choking on the dirty, mouse-bile-scented moss, all of which he had been forced to carry. "So where to, Pushy?" he said to Archstripe once they were both padding out of camp.

"What was that last part?" Archstripe demanded, lowering his head so his eyes were level with Pinepaw's.

The smaller cat spat out the moss. _Blech, all of the flowers in the forest couldn't disguise that odor or make that stuff smell better. _"Sorry, all of that _moss _made me sound weird, I suppose. I said 'so where to?' and then kind of coughed twice." He gritted his teeth behind closed lips, not sure whether Archstripe would fall for it. _Probably he won't, but he still has no proof of me calling him Pushy, since nobody else is around. _

"Very well," Archstripe rumbled, jerking his head toward a spot a short distance away. "That's our destination. I'm sure you can handle carrying- or really, _dragging_\- that moss a couple mouse-tails onward."

It was only when they arrived at an enormous oak tree- not being an evergreen tree, it was a rare find in ShadowClan territory- with his above-ground roots coated in moss when Pinepaw realized something. _I thought that my first venture out of camp, besides when we were tiny kits, of course, would be with Needlepaw by my side. _He sighed as he dropped the moss again and kicked it away. _Instead, I haven't the slightest idea where he is. _

* * *

**Since our main characters have advanced a rank, I am going to post updated allegiances in a bit. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**-Mossy**


	13. Updated Allegiances - Moon 6

**Updated Allegiances (Moon 6)**

_**ShadowClan**_

_**Leader, **_**Tawnystar- **old pale tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

_**Deputy, **_**Hummingbird- **dark ginger she-cat with a white chest and bright green eyes

_**Medicine Cat, **_**Mistcloud- **elderly pale gray she-cat with spiky fur and blue eyes **(Apprentice: Volepaw)**

_**Warriors, **_**Flamedapple- **mostly ginger tortoiseshell tom with green eyes

**Russetshine- **dark ginger she-cat with green eyes **(Apprentice: Ivypaw)**

**Spikeclaw- **black tom with amber eyes

**Twigpelt- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Comfreyleaf- **light gray she-cat with green eyes **(Apprentice: Owlpaw)**

**Stiltfeather- **long-legged gray tom with green eyes

**Tortoisestep- **heavyset dark brown tom with dark green eyes **(Apprentice: Graypaw)**

**Speckfall- **light brown she-cat with darker flecks and amber eyes

**Fleetwhisker- **swift light brown tom with amber eyes

**Flickclaw- **pale ginger tom with green eyes

**Appletail- **gray-brown she-cat with pale amber eyes

**Lintpelt- **fuzzy gray tom with gray eyes **(Apprentice: Amberpaw)**

**Chillgaze- **white tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Scarpaw)**

**Hivefur- **golden-brown tabby tom with knotted fur and honey-amber eyes **(Apprentice: Needlepaw)**

**Archstripe- **dark gray tom with a lighter-colored stripe down his back, amber eyes **(Apprentice: Pinepaw)**

**Smolderfire- **dark gray, cinder-colored she-cat with black ears, paws, and tail-tip, bright orange eyes

**Lightningstrike- **dull gray, almost black she-cat with startling yellow eyes

**Crowflight- **black she-cat with a tousled pelt and pale green eyes

**Sparrowfoot- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Indigowhisker- **black tom with indigo-blue eyes and long whiskers

**Blizzardtail- **white she-cat with yellow eyes

_**Apprentices, **_**Volepaw- **brown tom with amber eyes; medicine cat apprentice

**Graypaw- **gray she-cat with yellow eyes

**Amberpaw- **dark gray she-cat with ginger markings and amber eyes

**Scarpaw- **mottled black tom with amber eyes

**Ivypaw- **tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

**Owlpaw- **dark brown tom mottled with white, green eyes

**Pinepaw- **black tom with pale yellow eyes

**Needlepaw- **black tom with pale yellow eyes

_**Queens, **_**Auburnnose- **thin white she-cat with a dark russet muzzle (Mother to Hivefur's kits: **Coldkit, **a huge black-and-brown tom with amber eyes; **Ravenkit, **a white she-kit with black markings on her back; **Featherkit, **a light brown she-kit dappled with ginger; and **Hailkit, **a pure-white tom)

**Evesky- **black she-cat with dark blue eyes (Expecting Lintpelt's kits)

_**Elders, **_**Redpatch- **huge black and reddish-brown tom with milky blue eyes

**Ferretclaw- **cream-and-gray tom with green eyes


	14. Moon 6 - Needle

**Mmm, my house smells so good right now! I have a feeling I won't have to secretly feed my dogs my dinner under the table tonight...**

**Anyways, welcome back to another chapter of Tall Pines. Ooh, it's Needlepaw's first apprentice POV! Let's see how he's handling _his _mentor :I**

**Enjoy! -Mossy**

* * *

_Chapter Twelve - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e - Moon 6_

"Well," the golden-brown tabby muttered, clearing his throat and tilting backward and forward on his paws, "I'm very pleased I've gotten you as my first apprentice, of all cats. I have little doubt we'll work swimmingly together."

Needlepaw nearly ground his teeth into dust as he dipped his head at his new mentor, Hivefur. _"Little doubt" isn't the same thing as "no doubt," _he thought anxiously. _So even _he _thinks there's a possibility I'll stink? _"Thank you. I- I'm glad you're my mentor, too."

The hesitant pair stood silently, and oh-so-awkwardly, their eyes following the trail of another mentor-and-apprentice pair.

"What are we gonna do first, Comfreyleaf?" squealed Owlpaw, just like the kit he used to be until moments ago.

A lean gray she-cat with twinkling green eyes chuckled as she gazed down upon him as if he were her first-born son. "How about we explore the territory?" she suggested, flicking her tail at somebody across the clearing. Within heartbeats, Russetshine and Ivypaw had trotted over, also all smiles.

"We can go with you guys...?" Ivypaw mewed, her tone questioning. She had always been the quietest one among her brothers, yet now her azure-blue eyes sparkled with an adrenaline-charged flame Needlepaw had never seen in her before.

"Of course," Russetshine purred. "We'll see what Chillgaze and Scarpaw are doing. Maybe they can go too!"

With that, the cheerful foursome padded away in the direction of the mottled black tom and his stoic trainer. Needlepaw curled his claws into the ground as he registered a feeling of empty anger within him. _They don't even bother inviting me and Pinepaw. Of course. We might as well be from a different Clan, for all they care. _

"Wait," Needlepaw mewed aloud, startling Hivefur to attention. The dark-furred apprentice turned away from his mentor so he couldn't see him roll his eyes. _He doesn't even know what to do with me. _

"What's the matter?" Hivefur grumbled, sitting down and starting to groom his whiskers. Needlepaw stiffened as he watched the golden warrior swipe a moistened paw over his cheek. _Really? "I just got an apprentice, but I'm gonna straighten up my whiskers first." _

"Oh- um, nothing," said Needlepaw with a dismissive flick of his tail. "Just thinking out loud."

The young tom still hadn't been facing his mentor, but when he felt Hivefur shift next to him, Needlepaw spun around and locked his wide yellow gaze with Hivefur's amber optics. "Needlepaw," Hivefur meowed seriously. "If you wish to have the best relationship possible with your 'companion for the next six or so moons,' then you'll have to share your concerns with me. I won't tell anybody else, not even my kits," he finished with a grin.

Needlepaw winced as he quoted Tawnystar. _Companion? I'd rather have a _lizard _as my companion. _"Nah, I was just, er, wondering where my brother was." Again, Needlepaw glanced back and forth, but Pinepaw's not-exactly-unique pelt was nowhere to be seen. _Did he leave camp without me? _Needlepaw flattened his ears and tried not to whine aloud, _How could he? _

"Hm. Well, I can't answer that for you," Hivefur replied nonchalantly. "Because I have no idea either."

The black apprentice just shrugged and mumbled, "So where to? What's my first task as a 'paw?"

Hivefur's quizzical frown turned into a broad beam. "To clean out the elders' bedding, of course!"

Right away, almost as if on instinct, Needlepaw's shoulders slumped and he slowly turned tail, heading toward the elders' den. In just a matter of heartbeats, his apprenticeship day had become nothing more than another humdrum, dull day. Plus musty and dusty moss.

"Hold on, trooper!" Hivefur yelled after him. Needlepaw paused, pondering for just a split moment if perhaps the golden tabby had been joking...

"Yes?" Needlepaw asked, twisting back around to see Hivefur bounding back to his side.

It was quite clear that Hivefur was trying- and, mostly, failing- to hold back a laugh. _Yes. Very funny. I guess I just forgot to laugh. _

"Needlepaw," panted Hivefur. Already his whiskers, just as frazzled as his bramble-bush-like pelt, were messed up again from his short-lived jog. "I was only kidding. Forgive me. Though it is comforting to know how seriously you take my orders. Your assertiveness to do what I say will be beneficial to both our lives, particularly in the heat of battle." He chewed on his lip and added quietly, "Because there's a possibility we'll have another bloodshed-fest with RiverClan soon."

Needlepaw pricked his ears. _Another one of the battles like the one that killed Ebonypelt? _Just like the irritation he had felt earlier, Needlepaw registered an empty sadness in his heart. It wasn't necessarily like a piece of his heart was missing; after all, he'd barely known Ebonypelt four moons. He sighed. _S__till, she took me and Pinepaw in. I feel like she's my mother, and StarClan knows what Pinepaw thinks. Yet the problem is... it's because of her death that Fleetwhisker has been such a badger towards me and my brother. _

But out loud all Needlepaw expressed was a sarcasm-drenched "Fantastic" as Hivefur led him to the camp exit.

Needlepaw had never taken much notice of the entrance/exit before, but now that he would be walking through it like a true warrior, everything was different. The yellow-eyed tomcat took acute notice of the thorns lining the perimeter of the roundish tunnel. It was a similar protective device to the barb-wired fences Needlepaw faintly recalled during his brief time in Twolegplace as a kit. The memories were fuzzy, and yet Needlepaw still remembered how sharp those barbs were- Pinepaw, then Furu, had accidentally gotten one in his paw pad- just like silver thorns from a rosebush.

Needlepaw followed Hivefur's striped, waving tail through the small tunnel. And small it was; in fact, Needlepaw had hardly taken five steps before he was out of camp. He suppressed a groan. _And I didn't even get to take a deep breath and meaningfully step out into the territory! _Flicking the tip of his own tail in dismay, Needlepaw stepped forward so he could walk beside his mentor.

His disappointment was short-lived, for all of a sudden all of Needlepaw's surroundings had changed. No longer was he closed in by just pine and other evergreen trees; rather, he could glimpse bunches of trees and bushes he had seen since he was a moon old: oaks, birches, even a few beeches. Prickly, dark-leaved holly bushes rested at the bases of tree trunks, entangled with brambles and gorse.

Needlepaw couldn't help but giggle like a kit as he skipped past an enormous oak with moss-blanketed, above ground roots to a birch with peeling bark. Blissfully, the apprentice scraped his claws down the tree until he could joyfully picture how an enemy would feel at his paws.

"I have to agree with you," Hivefur remarked, and Needlepaw startled, having forgotten for a bit that there was another cat there. "It's darn close to heaven. Each time I see our territory I feel a little thrill race through my heart, like I was struck by a good kind of lightning. Just wait 'till you see the lake, young one."

The younger feline tilted his head. "But I didn't say anything. How do you know I like it so much?" he questioned, while half-turning back to weakly make a few more scratches in the birch timber.

Hivefur chuckled. "It's as visible as a white cat at nighttime, Needlepaw. The pure, unfiltered enthusiasm and delight in your eyes... it's what I hope was in my eyes when my kits were born."

Needlepaw fully whirled away from the tree and strode up to his mentor with a genuine wan grin planted on his muzzle. "I remember when Pinepaw and I came to visit Auburnnose and the kits, and you were sitting there, looking so proud and protective of the kits at that moment, like you wouldn't dare let an adversary lay a claw on them."

"And I wouldn't," Hivefur responded, lowering his head. Swiftly, he raised it again and walked forward a small number of steps before blinking back at Needlepaw and jerking his head in the direction he was headed. "Let's not waste time, now. Chop, chop!" His honey-colored eyes twinkled. "Would you like to see the thing called 'the lake' or not?"

"I would," Needlepaw breathed, and he eagerly followed, his nimble paws not making a sound on the soft layer of pine needles under his feet.

It took a solid amount of time to travel through the remainder of ShadowClan territory; it was a soothing reminder to Needlepaw of his Clan's strength. _Our birth mother picked a good Clan to leave us in, _he thought. His whiskers twitched as his mind wandered on, _I'll never know if there was a legitimate reason she chose ShadowClan. She probably didn't even know where she was dropping us. To her, this was just a random forest. _

And then, at long, long, last, it was in front of them. The thing they called "the lake." Needlepaw's jaw dropped at the sheer size of it: so long that it escaped the edges of his vision, and so wide that the fields across the waters from them were shrouded in mist and blurred by distance. The swirling, murky-blue waters reflected the dazzling sunlight in the most picturesque sight Needlepaw had viewed in his life.

Needlepaw felt Hivefur's wiry pelt scrape his own sleek one, and the apprentice took notice of the warrior as he flicked his tail toward the wide space across the lake. "That's-"

"-WindClan," Needlepaw mewed. When Hivefur blinked at him in surprise, Needlepaw merely shrugged. "What? It's a bunch of rolling moors. If that's not WindClan, then I'll chew my own tail off."

Hivefur cocked his head for a moment and snorted in amusement. "Fair point." He twisted his upper abdomen at a more acute angle to face to the left of them. "The forest over there is?"

Needlepaw raked his gaze through the neighboring woods. There were few, if any, evergreen trees in the expanse. The area also seemed less thickly wooded than ShadowClan's territory, and it was obvious that more sunshine- and uncomfortable rain- could break through the sparse treetops. "ThunderClan," he answered confidently.

"Correct. And that leaves RiverClan territory..." Hivefur halted his words while his amber gaze led Needlepaw's pale yellow to the land off on the right. "... right over there."

Needlepaw nodded silently, scanning the landscape before looking back up at the golden warrior as if to say, "What now?"

"Just one more thing," Hivefur informed him. Needlepaw watched as his mentor's eyes alighted on a sizable island barely visible in the lake's mist. "Any idea what that island serves as?"

Needlepaw recognized a spark of excitement that made his paws fizz like boiling water. _The Gathering Island! _He kinked his long tail over his back. _I'll get to leave ShadowClan territory to go there. _"The Gathering Island," he mewed aloud mildly, like the Island was nothing at all.

But he didn't receive a response, of any level of enthusiasm, to his answer. Needlepaw tore his gaze away from the lake and searched for his mentor. It didn't take long for him to find Hivefur again: the tabby tom had inched a little farther off to the right, gazing out in the direction of RiverClan territory.

"Um, Hivefur?" Needlepaw inquired, a tinge of timidity grazing his tone.

Hivefur whirled around, and the black tom jumped when he saw the glint of the warrior's unsheathed claws.

"Oh-! Oh my StarClan, forgive me please, Needlepaw. I thought for a heartbeat that you were-" Hivefur stopped, frowning exasperatedly and putting away his claws. "That you were..." he tried again, to no avail. He only looked at Needlepaw helplessly, as if he had misplaced his voice.

All Needlepaw could choke out was, idiotically, "Hivefur?"

Already on edge, the former loner leaped even higher than last time when Hivefur shook out his pelt vigorously. By the time the adult cat had finished flapping back-and-forth like a fish tossed out of water, there was a distinctive smirk on his face.

Needlepaw scowled at him. "I don't think that will get all the bugs out of your pelt," he snapped. Immediately thereafter he slapped his tail over his mouth, eyes wide. _Why did I just say that? Oh, mouse-dung, I'm gonna get it for sure... _

Hivefur's smirk faltered, then grew into a full-out smile. "Hey, my fur's not _that _bad," he retorted playfully, swatting his apprentice over the ear with soft paws. "And besides, you won't be joking about bugs when you have to use mouse bile to get them out of the elders' coats." He stuck out his tongue, squeezed his eyes shut, and shuddered. "Blech! Definitely not my favorite apprentice duty."

The black tom shared his mentor's shudder, and then said curiously, amid relief that everything was back to normal, "So what _was _your favorite apprentice duty?"

"Nothing to do with the elders. Sorry, Redpatch and Ferretclaw," Hivefur mewed apologetically. He began the trek back through ShadowClan territory, and Needlepaw trotted by his side, yawning. _I didn't even realize until now how tired I am! I guess it makes since, considering we saw all our landmarks on the way to the lake. _

"I guess it would have to be..." said Hivefur, still working on answering Needlepaw's question, "Ooh! I know! Dawn patrols. Yes, you have to get up early, but there's still nothing like that first breath of fresh dawn air."

Needlepaw inclined his head in agreement. _What he doesn't know is I always got up early as a kit. Dawn is the best time of day. Peace and quiet._

_Peace. That's all I need._

* * *

**Does anybody know what season it is in this story? Because whoops I forgot. (I may not have even mentioned it?) Ugh.**

**-Mossy**


	15. I'm Sorry

**Sorry guys, this is just a dumb old AN.**

**I am very sorry for not updating for a loooooooong time. Life got in the way, and I'm afraid that my love for and interest in Warriors has also diminished greatly in that time. I am looking to publish a new story soon (it's still in the works, and I want to finish it completely before publishing) but it will not be Warriors-related, and rather a Romance/Drama with humans, not cats. **

**I hope you can all forgive me, and if you have any additional questions just PM me! Really, I don't bite, or claw, or scratch, or anything of the sort.**

**So... I'll see you later, maybe? And thank you all for sticking so long with me, whether it was Crow's Ladies Talk Show, Tall Pines, Warriors What-Ifs, or I Don't Quite Remember. Love you all!**

**Cheers, E**

**P.S. ...**

**Other websites you can catch me on...! Well, there's actually just one. But it's called Flight Rising, and it's a dragon breeding website! It's actually pretty cool, and you can find me on there as ilovecatsndogs. Okay, now bye!**


End file.
